Flash Fire
by DarkElements10
Summary: Though her life as a human ended in a flash of heat, the fire in her heart continued to burn. The arrival of the fire metahuman, Cadence Nash, brings a sinister criminal organization closer to Barry and STARLabs than originally thought. Especially when he becomes her new target. With secrets and lies abound it'll be hard to figure out the truth. The Flash is about to get burned.
1. Cadence Nash

**Flash Fire**

**By: Riley**

**Full Summary – **Even though her life as a normal human ended in a flash of heat, the fire in her heart continued to burn. The arrival of the fire metahuman, Cadence Nash, brings the arrival of a sinister criminal organization that's closer to Barry and S.T.A.R. Labs than originally thought. Especially when he becomes her new target. But is she really evil? Her connection to Harrison Wells creates a stir amongst the others amongst the mysteriousness of her past. Then there's Barry, who's sudden side-effects of his powers is causing him to put himself into even more danger than ever expected. Wasn't having the power of speed supposed to _help _him? With secrets and lies abound it'll take everything for Team Flash to figure out what's the truth and who their real enemy is. The Flash is about to get burned. SnowWells, WestAllen, Barry/OC friendship. *Team Arrow will become a big part of the story once they make their appearance*.**  
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><p>Barry Allen had been running—even sprinting wouldn't the best word, nothing would be the best word that would accurately describe what it was that he could do—through the streets of Central City, doing what he did best—entertaining his own abilities—when he had gotten a distress call from Cisco and Caitlin back at S.T.A.R. Labs.<p>

"Barry, there's a fire outbreak in the forest on the outskirts of the city," Cisco Ramon said toTe him, voice transmitted through the earpiece placed in his hood.

"It's strange. The fire _literally_ came out of nowhere," Caitlin Snow added. Despite Cisco and Caitlin being back in the laboratory more than halfway across the city, Barry could perfectly picture their body positions. Cisco had a lollipop in his mouth, evident from the slight slurring of his words, more than likely grinning at the computer screen that tracked Barry's movements within a few feet. "Fires take time to build even from the smallest spark, but this one was like a bomb went off. It doesn't make sense, the ground is too wet from the rainfall last night to create such a blaze."

"Which we shouldn't rule out," Cisco added and Barry could detect the hint of excitement in his voice. "We've seen metahumans that can create storms and duplicate themselves, I'm sure there's a Bomber-man out there somewhere."

Barry chuckled; also able to accurately picture the stare that Caitlin slowly gave her co-worker and only friend. She was used to his antics; how excited he became whenever there was a breakthrough in a case as well as being able to show his vast knowledge of pop culture and easygoing nature that balanced Caitlin's straightforwardness.

At least someone saw what he was able to do as cool as he thought it was.

"I'm on it guys, I'll be there in two seconds," Barry said. He rapidly changed course, darting across an intersection—widely dodging an oncoming car—and raced towards the forest.

"Still, Barry, be careful," Caitlin advised. Agitation was evident in her tone. That was par for the course; it seemed that everything Barry did was enough to exasperate the brunette. "Don't forget that you're still not used to your hypoglycemia, you can conk out from exhaustion. And even then, we don't know how your speed reacts to intense heat, especially considering the amount of friction that—"

"We get it, Caitlin, you're worried," quipped Cisco.

The following silence caused Barry to smile seconds before the excruciating heat caused him to back up to a safe distance. Raising a hand and yanking off his hood, he ran his fingertips over his eyebrows. A relieved sigh escaped his lips when he felt that his hood had protected his face. _This suit has been very good to me. _The flames erupted, sending acrid, smoke as black as the night sky high into the air.

Coughing, he backed away as the smoke hit the back of his throat. His lungs instantaneously seized as he did a series of rapid coughs, increased by his superhuman speed. When they finally subsided, he squinted his eyes, straining to distinguish the source of the flames. What caused it to continue to increase in size when he couldn't get close enough to see what started it?

Or if anyone was hurt.

"Do you see anything here?"

Caitlin again.

"No, I can't get close enough! The flames, they're—"

A voice broke in behind him. "Too hot? Yeah, I think this is one of my best works." As Barry watched, eyes shifting in confusion, the fire started to die down all on its own. When it was finally out, nothing remained other than a scorch on some of the tougher logs and branches, ashes littering the other portions of vegetation that couldn't withstand the heat. Turning around, Barry noticed a dark haired brunette that was about his age, standing behind him. Her eyes shifted down to the watch that rested on her left wrist. "It's about time you got here, I expected you to be here before it got this big."

"Barry, who's that with you?"

Pressing his lips together, Barry continued to regard the girl. His chest heaved up and down, heart beating incredibly fast. Faster than it had when he was in that coma. No. He was nervous. Someone had just found out his identity. How could he have let his guard down like that? Thinking there wouldn't be anyone around? The existence of the metahumans, the two he had already encountered not including himself, was enough so that he should've kept his guard up.

The girl smiled as she walked over to him, hugging her overcoat tighter to her body. "Then again, you can only run so fast, right?" Continuing to gawk at her, Barry licked his lips, taking a step back. Whatever it was—maybe fight or flight instinct increased tenfold—he wasn't going to take any chances. "I'm Cadence Nash. And you're Barry Allen."

The metahuman's head tilted to the side, though it had have looked like a quick twitch as most of his movements were now rapid. "How…do you know my name?"

"Who doesn't know your name at this point?" Cadence inquired. Her eyebrows gently cocked upwards. "Not only is it that you were in a nine month coma after having been struck by lightning when the particle accelerator blew, but coming out of that coma…well, that's very remarkable." She looked him in the eye. "Not including the fact that shortly after you woke up, there seemed to be a 'red blur' appearing everywhere." As if it were fanfare, Cadence waved her hands, her hazel eyes flashing. "Though not many people have seemed to make that connection."

"Who are you?" Barry demanded. "And how do you know so much about me?"

"I already told you who I am, Barry. And as to how I know a lot about you, well, it's simple newspaper articles and just plain paying attention." She lifted a hand, lips curling up into a smile as a fireball appeared over her hand.

"Whoa. Wait, you did this?" Barry twisted back towards the ashes that were still slightly smoldering before looking back at Cadence. "You started this fire?" She nodded. "Why? What…what were you trying to do?"

"Meet you." The simplicity of Cadence's answer caused Barry to falter for a moment.

He then smirked, gently shaking his head. "You could've bought me a cup of coffee or stopped me on the street," he pointed out. Then paused for a second, bobbing his head back and forth. "Heck, even given me a Facebook message." Blinking rapidly Barry's gaze swept to his feet. "You know if you really wanted to. I'm not saying that you—"

"When you're that hard to track down? Yeah that'd work." Cadence laughed. She looked over her shoulder as sirens started to pierce the air. "And something tells me that you're not Mr. Punctual when it comes to forms of communication."

Barry started to sweat; knowing what would happen if he was found by the police and fire departments. Joe would, as usual, immediately start to worry about him, if not pressuring him to tell Iris what was really going on. How else could he explain that he managed to get to crime scenes before anyone else or just be 'in the right place at the right time' over and over again? No, it was better that they get to S.T.A.R. Labs. If Cadence was able to exhibit the same kinds of powers that Barry did…then she was a metahuman and there had to be something they could discover from research on her.

It didn't appear that she wanted to hurt him…it was nice to know he didn't have to worry about being stabbed in the back. Not that he could perceive anyway, judging by her stance and shoot the breeze attitude he could tell that she really did just want to meet him. Though the specific reason why was up to consideration.

"Quick!" Barry grabbed her wrist. "Before they get here." He gave her a long look. "And you might want to hold on tight."

"Tight to what?"

The words only just got out of Cadence's mouth before Barry had brought them back to S.T.A.R Labs, in a mixture of lightning and smoke and flames. His momentum causing him to blow a stack of papers off of the desk and flutter like confetti to the floor. Letting go of Cadence's wrist, he used his enhanced speed to run to his locker and change into his street clothes and then zoomed back. All in the span of the few seconds that it took Caitlin and Cisco to leap up from their desks and hurry over towards Cadence.

The girl's knees shook and she buckled to the floor, moving a hand to her mouth. "Whoa." Shaking hands covered her mouth as she closed her eyes. "I should've told you that I get motion sickness pretty easily," she moaned.

"Sorry," Barry apologized. "I should've warned you about that."

Cadence waved a hand before crawling over to the nearest trashcan to her. Caitlin hurried over to her desk and grabbed a chair, pulling it back to Cadence, helping her up.

"Whoa, Barry, what's going on?" Cisco asked. "Last we heard there was a raging inferno and all of a sudden you come careening in here like you've got your pants set on fire."

"You should've seen the kind of power she was able to put into the flames," Barry agreed. Crossing his arms he and Cisco shared an amused glance, which immediately subsided when Caitlin turned a harsh glare their way. "Which is totally beside the point," he said quickly to which Cisco nodded.

Turning at the sound of doors opening, the three watched as Dr. Wells rolled down a ramp and over to the four young adults. "Well, well, look what we have here," he remarked. He continued over to the four and smiled when he spotted Cadence's head in a trashcan. "I see you've got the brunt end of Barry's speed."

"Dr. Wells, do you know her?" Caitlin asked. She then stood up straight, casting a critical glance towards Barry. "Who is she?"

"I know of her," Dr. Wells reiterated. "It has been my intention to know how sudden fires have been breaking out, steadily moving closer to Central City." He leaned towards Cadence, who turned her head to the side, resting her cheek on the cool surface of the desk. "Cadence Nash, I was wondering when you would get here."

She smiled a little. "It's good to see you, Dr. Wells."

"So Dr. Wells has a life outside of S.T.A.R. Labs huh?" Cisco said with a laugh which was once again broken off when Caitlin gave him another icy stare, attributing to her name well. "I mean, I'm sure you did, but…yeah…I'll just be over here…"

Barry chuckled.

"Let me welcome you to S.T.A.R. Labs," Dr. Wells continued. "Though I never intended you to see it so soon." He turned to Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco. "Cadence Nash is someone I've been following for a while. She's just as…remarkable as Barry here is."

"So you're saying that she's a metahuman as well?" Whirling around, Caitlin picked up a clipboard and stated to frantically scribble on the sheet of paper. "She was struck by the particle accelerator?"

"Quite the contrary, actually," Dr. Wells said. He nodded over towards Cadence, who started to regain the color in her face. She didn't look quite so green anymore, the nausea fading away.

Now able to lift her head off of the desk and sat back, smoothing her hair out of her face, revealing a scar on her left cheek. It extended from her jaw bone to the apple of her cheek. And yet, despite the scar there was nothing but a friendly look in her eyes. No overwhelming feeling of tension in the slightest.

"I've had these abilities for a long time," she explained. "Since I was a kid, actually."

"Abilities?" Barry repeated. "As in, more than one?"

"Not only is she able to conjure and manipulate fire, but she also has a sense of being able to heal others," Dr. Wells explained.

"Works well considering I'm in residency," Cadence added with a fleeting smile. "Though I have to admit that it is difficult to make sure that it isn't caught by those around me. However, working in pediatrics does have its perks in that aspect as kids can bounce back from anything." Her cheek twitched for a second and she lowered her head, letting out a long sigh. "I met Dr. Wells ages ago, somehow he found about my abilities and we've been in contact ever since."

"Where are you from?" Caitlin asked. She was still jotting down notes as the conversation moved around them.

"Metropolis," Cadence said. She shrugged. "It's a pretty cool city. A lot to do if you're bored." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Though it's not as exciting as that rural town a few counties over. Let me just say, weird things happen there."

"Really?" Barry hid a smile. "That's interesting."

"What brings you here to Central City?" Caitlin continued.

"I heard about Barry and wanted to see if my theory was correct…that he was the 'red blur' everyone is talking about."

"At what age did you develop your abilities? Do you remember what it is that happened around you? A flash of light? Some sort of accident?"

"Give her a chance to breathe, Caitlin," Cisco reprimanded his friend.

"I'm just trying to get as much information as I can before she spontaneously combusts or something. You never know what metahumans are capable of."

"Not blowing myself up, I can tell you that," Cadence said. She smiled a little. "I've tried. Doesn't work. I can control fire and manipulate it. I can't cause myself to burst into flames or anything like that." She bobbed her head. "Though that would be pretty interesting." She cleared her throat. "No, I don't remember anything about there being a specific event that would've given me my powers. All I know is that they suddenly appeared and I had to work hard to keep it a secret, though there are still times where things have gone 'unexplained'." She used air quotes around the words.

"So no one else knows that you're a metahuman?" Barry asked. He had been otherwise silent, allowing Cisco, Caitlin, and Dr. Wells to do their jobs. They were better equipped to handle this sort of situation than he was. "Not even your friends or family?"

"It's hard to have friends when there's something that you're constantly hiding from them. As for my parents, I haven't seen them since I moved out." She frowned. "I didn't want to put them through my problems anymore…it was hard for them to know I wasn't normal. They were doing their best."

"And you came all the way to Central City to find Barry?" Caitlin had finally put down the clipboard that was filled with her findings. She started to pace back and forth.

Barry felt a quick flash of irritation that had moved away just as quickly as he could run. He had the same sense of admiration for Oliver Queen or as others knew him 'the Arrow'. He was a big fan of what the man did and having been able to meet him, become friends with him…it was good to have someone who understood what he was going through. It made it that much easier to live a life that wasn't normal amongst those that thought that having brightly colored dyed hair and tattoos were strange. Let alone being able to eat pounds of food and not gain any weight.

"Is that so weird?" He asked. "Looking for people that are the same as you…to see if things that could be explained…"

"Not including the fact that you can't stay in Metropolis anymore, right?" Dr. Wells asked Cadence quietly. She gazed back at him, silent. "Something must've happened for you to come and try to find him now…months after he had woken up again." He leaned his top half forward, resting his hands in his lip, dark eyes staring hard at the girl behind his frames. "Something that drove you out of your home city. Have there been cases of other metahumans in your city, Cadence?"

Cadence's cheek twitched once more before she stood up. "Not that more so than I got cold feet and felt I needed to leave. And when I found there was someone like me…" She trailed off, looking around S.T.A.R. Labs. "Looks like you're trying to start an army around here, Dr. Wells."

"No, not an army." Dr. Wells laughed, slowly wheeling up behind her. "We're just trying to figure out what makes you tick." He tilted his head over towards Caitlin. "Do you mind if she gets s DNA sample to test?"

"Not at all," Cadence replied. Caitlin nodded and went over to a table that was tucked in the corner of the room. It was bare of any items other than a box that held latex gloves. "And, hey, if you want to take my blood, I'm used to that too." She chuckled at her own joke before opening her mouth as wide as it could go. Caitlin walked back over and took a swab of her mouth before taking a sample of her blood as well. "I've been told I have some pretty interesting blood."

"How do you get around your samples being taken by doctors at your work?" Cisco asked. "Since…you've said that you've had your blood taken before." A smile graced his features. "Now, I don't think they'd have the same sort of strength in their instruments as my Cisco'd instruments."

Cadence blinked rapidly. "Cisco'd?"

"It's what he calls it when he modifies something so that's far more advanced," Barry explained. "Like that treadmill over there." He pointed to the object in the far corner of the room.

"Mhm! I Cisco'd it so that it could handle the increase in speeds that Barry here can exude." He tapped a finger against his chin as he looked Cadence up and down. "My next project is to make you a suit that can handle the fire power you put out."

An amused smile slid onto Cadence's face as she took in Cisco's exhilaration at the idea. She could tell he was already formulating the materials he would need. "I don't need a suit. No one really notices me anyway, so I have no worries about my 'identity' being revealed."

Dr. Wells and Barry smiled.

"Amazing," Caitlin breathed, grabbing the others' attention. Her eyes were pressed into the optics of a microscope. "Her blood is moving quickly, not like Barry's movements because of his speed. But moving fast because of the heat. It's like her blood is actually on fire."

"That would explain why I'm always so warm in the winter," Cadence remarked.

"But then that opens up a lot of other questions," Caitlin said. She stood up straight, pressing the palms of her hands against the edge of the table. Fingernails clacked against the metal as she drummed her fingers. "Metabolic rate, reaction with intense heat, anything else that it can do to the body at the molecular level. This would mean increasing tests on just about…everything."

"Great." Dr. Wells turned around and started to wheel away. "We can get started tomorrow morning." He disappeared through a door that was hidden in the shadows.

With that, the group disbanded. Caitlin immediately became busy with the microscope, Cisco ran off to get started on collecting the materials that he hoped would be able to withstand the fire Cadence could create and that left Barry and Cadence. The two glanced at each other before Cadence glanced at her watch and started to leave the lab. "Looks like you've got a lot of friends here."

Barry thought about Caitlin and her normally frosty demeanor with everyone around her then shook his head, chuckling. "I guess you could say that," he said. "They have the same goals I do just…they can't do it. So they help me whenever there're people that need help."

"Which is who you were talking to at the fire," Cadence said. "And to think I thought you were actually crazy." Barry laughed. "That would've been more fun."

The two left S.T.A.R. Labs and walked out onto the concrete sidewalk. Feeling the change in temperature, Cadence brought her jacket tighter around her, though didn't close it. Barry, on the other hand, shivered and made sure that all of the buttons on his coat were done up and the scarf around his neck was tight.

"So it looks like you're going to be here in Central City for a while, Cadence," Barry remarked. His breath fogged in front of his face, the autumn season had definitely arrived. "It's a really cool place. It's gotten pretty interesting in the last couple of months. Might not be like Metropolis but because you said you wanted to leave it might be the place for you."

"I'm starting to think that myself, actually."

A peal split through the air and Barry dug through his pocket to find his phone. He glanced at the screen for a moment and then closed his eyes. He was late, again. That was starting to become the new norm for him. No matter how fast he could move, he was always late for something. Thankfully, this time it was just that he was late for a meeting in Starling City.

Putting his phone away, Barry sighed before smiling. "Gotta run," he said seconds before disappearing from sight.

"Stay warm," Cadence called.

She turned on her heel and walked off in the opposite direction.

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><p><strong>AN: **So I really didn't have a direct plot for this other than what it'd be like if there was a metahuman that could control fire that wasn't evil. (God knows there's gonna be one in the show soon as it just started). I hope you guys liked it.

Cheers,

-Riles


	2. Suspicions

**.:2:.**

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><p>Barry sat on the couch, a bit restless. His fingers drummed against his thigh in a strange beat. Not rhythmic in any sense, but a constant twitching of his fingers, one he had the vague feeling he could help, but a bigger part of him wondering how fast he really could move.<p>

Being tested by those at S.T.A.R. labs he could clock in at about three hundred miles per hour or so, but what was the extent of it? What would happen if he really didn't eat enough and he burned out his energy. He would die, he supposed, but he should've died after the bolt of lightning hit him.

_And yet it gave me the ability to move faster than the eye can see, _Barry scratched at his chest, the fabric of his t-shirt hiding the scar underneath. The scar resting where he was struck. It made a strange, spidering pattern on his skin. Enough so that if he lost his abilities, he would still have the constant reminder of what he had been able to do.

The particle accelerator had been what caused him to become The Flash, but what was it that had made Cadence get her abilities. If Dr. Wells had known of her existence for that many years before she had left Metropolis before going to Central City…there was probably something he knew more than the others. What was it that had needed it to be a secret?

"Not being able to test it," Barry mumbled, the realization dawning on him.

"Did you say something, Barry?"

Twisting his head to the side, Barry smiled at his best friend, Iris West. She was curled up in the armchair, dressed in one of his old t-shirts and snowman pajama pants, nursing a mug of tea. Hearing his statement, she had turned from the show they had been watching on TV—he hadn't been paying that close attention—to see what was wrong.

"No," he replied then gestured towards the set when he recognized Iris's suspicious glance. She was already really good at figuring out whenever he wasn't being truthful about something. She had to, really. As he had been her foster brother for years, since his mother's murder. "I was just saying that the…" he swallowed thickly, turning back to the TV. "Murder is going to be the mother, because she wants the step-daughter dead to get her late husband's fortune."

Iris sighed heavily and grabbed the TV remote. Jabbing her thumb into the power button she turned off the TV. "That's the last time I ask you to watch a movie with me, Barry Allen."

He laughed lightly. "It's a Lifetime movie, Iris. They're not hard to figure out."

"I know, but it's still fun to see if you're right or if it's going to be the daughter instead." Iris took a long sip of tea and smiled, closing her eyes. She sat still for a few moments before casting a strange glance towards him once more. "Some of us find it interesting anyway, since we have the time to watch."

Barry let out a sigh through his nose.

He knew where this was heading.

"Where were you today, Barry?" Leaning forward, the young African-American woman placed her mug on the coffee table in front of her. "We were supposed to meet at work today so you could help me look over and edit my article." Flipping her long hair over her shoulder, her eyebrows shot upwards. "I'm starting to get a lot of recognition for my articles about the new vigilante we have running through our streets." She smiled. "He or she is a real hero."

Barry couldn't help the proud smile that slid onto his face. He didn't do it for the recognition, just wanting to help out the best way he could, while also dealing with the criminal metahumans that seemed to pop out from the woodwork within minutes of each other. Still, it was nice to know that some people thought he was doing the right thing.

"Would you really say that?" Barry asked, hoping to do his best to keep his pride out of his voice. "I mean, he could be waiting for a time to strike the city." He suddenly frowned deeply, standing up so swiftly that Iris looked up at him, startled. His mind raced a mile a minute with many different scenarios filling his head. Maybe there was something to the notion of intuition, his gut was telling him something and it was as strong as knowing that his mother was, indeed, murdered. "Sorry," he apologized. "I just…I have something I need to take care of."

"What?" Iris leaned over the arm of the chair and watched as Barry headed towards his room. "I thought you got everything done at work today. I mean, Dad didn't have anything to complain about." She gestured to her father, Joe West, who sat in the back corner of the room in another arm chair, reading the newspaper. He raised his eyes over the top of the newspaper and locked eyes with Barry.

Barry swallowed thickly. Joe knew about his secret and did his best to help him out when the time came; he had to have known that he was around the fire that had happened earlier that afternoon. The one thing he wouldn't help Barry with was lying to his daughter, placing the utmost importance on honesty.

Yet, he wasn't sure _how _she would react to his newfound powers. Not only that, he didn't want her to become a target. It had to mean something that his mother was targeted in her death ages ago. Someone wanted his father to become the star suspect for the case. He was sure of it. And while his father continued to serve out his sentence in jail, his mother's killer was roaming free, probably watching him every second of the day.

And as Barry was actively trying to find out who was the one that had killed his mother, it wasn't that far of a stretch to bring him into it as well. At least he'd be ready for it more than he was ready for any explanation to Iris. There was currently no reason for his mother to be murdered, nothing stolen from the house, other than his mother's life. The only other witness being in jail, Barry wouldn't put it past whoever had done it to come after him eventually.

Still it wasn't, currently, as important as figuring out where all of the new metahumans were coming from and what they wanted. Most importantly, why Cadence was _really_ in Central City.

"I got some extra…paperwork to do," Barry said. He shuddered at his own lie, knowing how lame it sounded. "The last case…with Stagg…there's a lot to look over." He hurried up the stairs before Iris could ask him anymore. But he didn't miss the disapproving glance that Joe sent his way. _Sorry Joe, now you have to answer some of her questions. _Barry went into his room and closed the door, making sure it was locked behind him, before dialing Cisco's number.

The phone started to ring and he glanced at the time on his alarm clock as he passed back and forth. It _was_ kind of late. Would they even still be at S.T.A.R. Labs? Maybe he should—

"What's going on, my speedy friend?" Cisco asked.

"I just had a thought," Barry said as he stopped pacing. "How do we know that Cadence isn't going to attack the city or something?"

"What?"

"Think about it Cisco, every metahuman that we've come across so far has been a criminal in some way. How do we know that Cadence isn't the same way? She showed up out of nowhere from Metropolis and says that she's had her powers since she was a kid. I mean, you have to admit that her reason for leaving Metropolis was kind of vague."

"But she doesn't look like the type of person that would be a criminal, dude," Cisco pointed out. Barry could hear a creaking sound and knew that he was sitting up straight in his seat. Despite not knowing him for long, Barry knew that Cisco was a very relaxed person, always trying to find the bright side of things and amusement in any situation. The only time he became serious was when he was sitting up straight, ready to go into action. "I mean, she was really friendly while she was here."

"Neither did Daton Bla—"Barry turned his gaze to the ceiling. "I mean, Multiplex. He was trying to help his wife, and then he got his work stolen. He was just trying to avenger her in some way."

"Yeah, by killing everyone that got in his way," Cisco reminded him. "I don't think Cadence wants to kill anyone." There was a scuttling sound and Caitlin suddenly came onto the phone.

"Barry, I've got some news for you," she said to him. "After testing Cadence's blood some more, my findings were accurate. It's like her blood really is on fire and judging by the activity, considering it always seems to regenerate its source, she really has had her abilities for a long time."

Barry reached up and scratched his forehead. So that part was at least true. Still, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that there was something big they were missing. "What about her being from Metropolis?"

"All of that checks out, too. However, I can't seem to get any information on her parents." Her voice then lowered. "Or how Dr. Wells knows her. I asked him about it, but he says it's information that he'll let us in on when the time is right."

Barry twisted his mouth to the side. Stuck at another brick wall. There had to be a way to get the information from him. Then again, there was a reason what they were currently doing at S.T.A.R. wasn't being released to the public either.

There was a sudden pause and when Caitlin came back on the line, he could hear a tiny bit of excitement in her otherwise cool tone. "How would you like to get some answers up close and personal?"

Before Barry could question what she meant, Cisco was back on the line. "There's a fire downtown at the MacMillan office building. A big one. Exactly like the one earlier today."

Turning to the window, Barry could make out the faint glow of downtown Central City. The bright, twinkling lights always shone against the dark sky, but this time around he could make out a faint orange glow along with it as well as a portion of the starry sky blacked out from the smoke that poured into the sky. He then heard the sound of sirens starting up and hurried footsteps from downstairs.

_Joe must've gotten the call, _he thought. _Looks like I'll beat him there._

"Looks like Spit Fire is getting started ahead of schedule," Cisco said.

Barry paused for a moment. "Spit Fire?" He repeated.

"I'm working on it."

Cisco hung up and Barry put his phone back in his pocket. All he had to do was creep out of his room, sneak out of the house, and run to the scene. It shouldn't take him too long.


	3. Hotheaded

**.:3:.**

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><p>Arriving at the burning building downtown, Barry stayed back in the shadows as there was a great crowd of people looking up on the scene. Swallowing hard, Barry looked around, trying to see if there was anyone that needed his help. It appeared that everyone was outside as firefighters were setting up, working to put out the fire.<p>

But what caused it?

Spotting Joe's police cruise at the edge of the scene, Barry zipped back to the house he changed to his street clothes. Arriving back at the scene, his uniform in the satchel across his waist, he went over to Joe. He went over to the detective and nodded his arrival to him and his partner, Eddie Thawne.

"Any ideas as to what started it?" Barry asked. It wasn't an abnormal question, he would be going in later to help figure out if there was anything the initial investigation would've missed. But it served as a double purpose for he could figure out whether or not Cadence was involved.

Eddie shook his head as he glanced up at the building. The firefighters had started to use the hoses, spraying the building, but it didn't appear that the fire would be out anytime soon. "Not anything that's usual. The smoke alarms, reported by some that worked inside, were reported to have gone off as well as the sprinklers before the fire managed to engulf the building." He looked over his notepad. "Some say they weren't surprised about the smoke alarm as it seems to go off whenever someone doesn't clean out the toaster in the break room. However, there was another witness that stated that the fire couldn't have come from the break room."

Joe and Barry exchanged a look. Though there were reasonable explanations for everything, they still couldn't rule out that a metahuman was involved. "Really?" Joe asked. He cleared his throat, trying not to appear too interested. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, she insists that the fire came upon them too fast," Eddie said firmly. "One second the alarms went off, the next the whole building was in flames."

"Sounds like a flash fire," Barry remarked, through his eyes were narrowed. "It's where there is a sudden, intense fire. It's usually caused by the ignition of air and a dispersed flammable substance. Like…dust, or a combustible liquid like an aerosol can or hairspray. It has a high temperature, short duration, and rapidly moving flames."

Joe let out what sounded like a snort as the three turned to look up at the building. "Something tells me that this didn't come from blowing air freshener in the break room."

"That's what I was thinking," Barry agreed. He turned and looked around, finding a woman sitting in the back of an ambulance motioned to Eddie. "Was that the witness you were speaking to?"

Looking over, Eddie nodded his confirmation. "Yes, it is," he agreed. "Would you like for me to talk to her again, Detective?"

Joe thought for a long moment, looking at Barry out of the corner of his eye before turning back to his partner. "I think we should both go talk to her. Maybe there's something we missed." He placed hand on Barry's shoulder, eyes still on Eddie. "Let me talk to Barry for a moment and I'll meet you over there."

Eddie nodded and hurried over towards the witness.

The two waited until he was out of sight before Joe spoke.

"I know I'm new to this whole thing but I'm pretty sure that—"

"—a metahuman is involved?" Barry broke in. "Yeah, I have the same thought. So do Caitlin, Cisco, and Dr. Wells." He lowered his voice, stepping closer to Joe. "This afternoon we met a girl named Cadence. She's a metahuman like me,"—Joe's eyebrows rose in surprise—"the thing is, though, that she's had her powers since she was a kid. When I met her earlier, it was—"

"—at that fire on the outskirts of the city? By the forest?"

"Yes. It was like this. I think she may be behind it." Barry shook his head as he looked up at the burning building. The firefighters had the raging inferno under control by that point and the smoldering pieces were slowly going out, brown smoke filling the sky. The crowd started to disperse as well, though there were others that dutifully took pictures and recorded the action. "But…she doesn't come across as evil or as a criminal so I'm a bit skeptical."

"Being doubtful just means that there's something else to investigate just so you know for sure," Joe pointed out. He tightened his grip on Barry's shoulder, gently shaking him. "Be careful while you're out there, Barry. If she can make a fire like this that quickly, who knows what else she can do."

Barry nodded and looked around, making sure the coast was clear, before zipping away, pulling on Flash uniform as he went.

"Did you find anything?" Caitlin demanded as soon as Barry pulled the hood back on. "We've been calling you since you got there. What happened?"

"Did you figure out what was the cause of the power?" Dr. Wells came onto the line. "Was it from a metahuman?"

"Unless there's a fire that can take down a nine story building in a matter of minutes, I'd say it was a metahuman," Barry agreed. "It has to be Cadence too, the fire was so big and it moved quickly, like a flash fire."

"Flash Fire!" Cisco cried. "That's it! That's what we'll call her!"

"Wait a minute." Barry slowed to a walk on an empty road, frowning. "I'm already The Flash, wouldn't people just get that mixed up?"

"No. One is speed one is fire, unless you somehow manage to take on fire powers as well, I don't think it'll be a problem."

"But—"

"—If you children are done," Caitlin interrupted.

Barry winced, hearing the anxiety in her voice. She was always so good at keeping any sort of expression or emotion off of her face whenever he was concerned. He had only seen her break down once, when she was talking about her fiancé to him and he was surprised—pleasantly surprised—that she had done so. He thought the two of them were the least likely people to have anything in common, but her late fiancé and his mother…at least he could tell she wasn't just worried about the state of Central City with a fire metahuman on the loose.

"We have more pressing matters. Cadence is moving quickly on a nearby road, it seems like she's chasing something. I don't know what, but there's something or someone she's after and it may have lead her to the office building."

"I'm on it." Barry lowered his hand from the sensor over his ear and moved to start running then stopped, bringing his hand back up. "Wait a minute, how do you know where she is?"

"We have her blood, remember?" Cisco spoke up. "Not only are we now able to see how she works up her fire powers, but we can track her just like we do for you." He paused and Barry could hear him take in an excited breath. "She's coming your way. If she tries any of your fire mojo on you, try throwing some dust or dirt at her, to smother the flames."

"Got it."

Lowering his hand from his ear once more, Barry's eyes shifted back and forth as he tried to figure out which direction Cadence would be coming from. It didn't take long for him to hear footsteps heading his way along with the sound of heaving breathing. Over the horizon, Barry watched as a lone figure came tearing up the road, moving as fast as he could. Seconds later he spotted Cadence running at full tilt behind him. The two barely made it up the road before she threw a stream of fire at the man that moved so quickly Barry wasn't sure he'd get out of the way in time.

Using his enhanced speed, he raced across the road and grabbed onto the man, darting off to the side of the road and skidding to a stop. The man gasped loudly, looking up at Barry in wide-eyed amazement, seconds before Cadence arrived, pushing Barry back out of f the way.

Straddling the man, Cadence grabbed the front of his shirt. "Where is he?!" She shouted, holding onto the front of the man's shirt. The man, seeming to be ignoring Barry now, merely smirked up at her as she started to shake him. "Talk, dammit! I know you know where Brady is!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," the man replied.

Growling, Cadence pulled her arm back, her hand started to glow a bright red before Barry could see the beginning of a flame started to form around her fist. He saw it in slow motion, as it were, as he moved over to Cadence and grabbed onto her before she could vaporize the guy. His forward momentum caused him to go slamming into Cadence's stomach, keeping her arm straight behind him. Though he had moved quick enough to try and get out of the way, she still had good aim and managed to strike the man on the right arm with her stream of power.

The man screamed in agony, doing his best to pat the flames off of his arm. Opening her hand, the fire disappeared from Cadence's fist just as it disappeared from the man's shoulder. But it had done enough, giving him third degree burns that caused pain to shoot through his senses badly enough that he went into shock, blacking out.

"Cadence, what are you doing?" Barry demanded once he stopped again.

Backing away from The Flash, Cadence growled at him, her hands clenched into fists, fingers twitching every now and then. "Back off! This doesn't concern you!"

"It does when you're hurting someone."

"You don't know what's he's done. You can't stay that this guy is innocent!" Cadence's dark eyes moved over towards the man and narrowed into dangerous slits. "He deserves what he's about to get." She took a few quick strides towards him and Barry blocked her path once more, holding up his hands.

"You already did enough damage to him," he said to her. "Unless you want to potentially get thrown in jail for murder…" he trailed off, taking a step back as Cadence took another step forwards. "You don't want to do this, Cadence, listen to me." _You don't want to go where my Dad is. _

He couldn't help but think about his father, all alone in jail, having been framed for a crime he didn't commit. How much longer would he last in there? How much longer would it take for him to go from being Henry Allen, loving father and husband, to a victim of the system who saw no point in living anymore, who would refuse to see his son anymore, who wouldn't see anything left in life?

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" She shot a steam of fire towards him, but he quickly zoomed out of the path of fire. Her eyes were alight with fury. Barry looked at them then did a double take, they were actually lighting up, the same as the glow around her fists.

_It looks like she's summoning the fire from within her, _he thought as he watched her. Bringing up a hand to his sensor, he relayed the information to Dr. Wells, Caitlin, and Cisco. "I think she's bringing the fire from within you."

"You're absolutely right, Barry," Dr. Wells agreed. "Our sensors here are indicating that she rises her body temperature while she uses her fire power. However, every metahuman has a weakness and like yours is hypoglycemia, it appears that the rising of her body temperature, after a while, will cause her to get a fever and react like any other person. It will be dangerous for her."

"So you're going to have to deal with Flash Fire pretty quickly," Cisco agreed. "Bringing back my suggestion of throwing dirt or dust at her to smother the flames. If not that, then try to wear her out so the fever overtakes her."

"But be aware that she may be able to work longer than you can before tiring out," Caitlin suggested. She sounded like she was thinking while she was talking, her voice a bit lighter and airy than normal. Which was a welcome change, Barry thought before turning his attention to her words. "She's had a lot more time to get used to her powers, so be on your guard."

"Got it."

Cadence let out a cry of fury and shot a stream of fire towards Barry. He darted out of the way and watched as she lowered her left hand, smirking as her right suddenly shifted to the sound. He could hear the rush of flames behind him and turned around, watching as they came towards him once more. He dove to the ground as it roared overhead and crashed to the ground. Letting out a hiss of pain, Barry grabbed onto his shoulder where he could feel his skin as the fabric on his suit had melted away.

If it was able to melt, despite Cisco's work on it, then the flames must've been really hot.

_She really has had a lot of time to work on this, _Barry thought. "This isn't good." He rolled his shoulder, wincing. "I guess I'm going to have to tire you out."

"Funny." Cadence slowly started to walk towards him, picking up speed as she went until she was running towards him. "I was thinking the exact same thing."

She was suddenly upon him, throwing a solid punch towards his face. He ducked out of the way and deflected the blow before zipping behind her and striking her in the back with a kick. Cadence stumbled forward then quickly caught her foot, turning around and shooting a flash of flames in his face. Barry ducked back out of the way, feeling his eyebrows singe then punched towards her. Catching his first in her hand, Cadence twisted it and pushed hard, forcing his arm aside then brought up her foot and kicked him in the chest, knocking him back away from her.

This wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.

All of a sudden there was a blurred movement in front of him and he was suddenly struck in the stomach once more, flying back until he landed on his back on the ground. He let out a quiet groan, staring at the sky in a daze.

"What was that?" he breathed.

"It seems that her abilities of quick moving fire goes along with her speed as well. She's not _nearly _as fast as you are, but she does have some sort of speed as well," Dr. Wells murmured.

"You better stay down or else you're going to go from being named 'The Flash' or 'Flash Fried'," Cadence said, walking towards him. She was breathing heavily, looking at Barry with a harsh glare as Barry pulled himself up into a sitting position. "If you want to keep getting in my way, I have no choice but to stop you."

Barry flipped to his feet and fell into a fighting stance, staring defiantly back at her. "I'm not going to allow you to hurt other people."

Gesturing vaguely towards the man that continued to lie on the ground. "That is _not _a man that is the bane of my existence!" She aimed a stream of fire towards Barry once more, this time narrowly avoiding him. Barry hardly had to move for him to get out of the way. His eyebrows twitched as he watched her. He didn't understand why she didn't direct the fire back towards him once more.

Then he understood. Not only was she able to bring up her body temperature to make it so that she was able to create the fire, but she was an actual hot head. No wonder it was such a great change from when they had met before. She had no one she was angry at and was really friendly, now that she had someone to deal with, her anger made it so that she wasn't thinking clearly the longer it went on. He had to finish this fight quickly and get her back to S.T.A.R. Labs before she hurt someone badly or her body temperature and fever got too high.

"I understand," Barry said to her, holding up his hands. "He did something to you." What was the name that she had said? "Brady? Is he your brother?" Cadence didn't respond. "He did something to your brother? Kidnap him? We'll get him back, don't worry."

Cadence's upper lip curled and she shot forward and struck Barry in the face with a hard punch. Despite the fact he had seen it coming, he was stunned at how hard of a punch she managed to land on him. But he was glad she had gotten so close, as it put him directly in his trap. Using his enhanced speed at full tilt he punched her in the stomach, his momentum and speed of the attack immediately knocking the wind out of her. He watched as her eyes went wide seconds before they closed and she slumped over onto him, knocking out.

Hoisting her over his shoulder, Barry glanced over at the man that continued to lie on the ground. He shot over to him and picked him up before racing to the hospital, depositing him across the secretary's front desk, and hurried back to S.T.A.R. Labs.

* * *

><p><em>"Hey, Dr. Wells, she's waking up."<em>

_"Don't you think we should be…I don't know, a few feet back, just in case she wants to use her mojo or something?"_

_"No, she's alright now."_

Cadence's eyes twitched before they slowly blinked open. The first thing she noticed was that she was lying on a metal table, the cold against her body seeping into her skin and bones. The second thing she noticed was the bright lights in her face that were dimmed by the five faces hovering over her. She sat up, allowing Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, Joe, and Dr. Wells to back out of her way.

"Where am I?" She demanded. "What happened." Her eyes continued to dark around, her skin itching for her to get out of there. Everything came rushing back to her, how she had been lured to the office building, found the man that had been taunting her for so long, then chased him down before facing off with Barry.

She suddenly felt angry all over again, hands tightening into fists.

"You're back in S.T.A.R. Labs," Dr. Wells said to her. The calm tone to his words caused her to look over at him. He looked back at her with a slight smile, pink lips pressed together, light blue eyes boring into hers. He reached out to grab her wrist then hesitated, bringing it back down to his lap. "Barry brought you here after you fought with each other. It's a good thing he did, too."

"Your body temperature was starting to get dangerously high," Caitlin said, grabbing Cadence's attention. The metahuman's eyelids lowered in confusion as she regarded the young woman speaking to her. "Even for that of your powers. If you had it go any higher, then you would've suffered from brain damage if not your entire body shutting down."

Cadence let out a low laugh, lowering her gaze. "It's not a big deal," she murmured. "I heal quickly, doesn't take more than a nap to get back to normal."

"Still, we can't have that happen, not when anyone can find you." Caitlin reached out and unwrapped the blood pressure monitor that had been hooked to her arm. Cadence then looked down, noticing that she had an IV drip taped to her arm, the needle inside her skin. "Don't worry, I'm a physician. I made sure that your body wouldn't reject the nutrients I'm giving you. Though be glad that you don't have as many problems as Barry does." She nodded over to The Flash and Cadence looked over at him.

Seeing her glance, he took a step forward then nodded over at Joe. "This is Detective Joe West," he introduced him. "Detective West, Cadence Nash. Her brother Brady is missing, and from the way she was reacting to the man she was with—"

"—Michael Bloom," Cadence interrupted. "His name is Michael Bloom."

Joe nodded and wrote the name down on a notepad. "Did he kidnap your brother?"

Cadence sighed loudly, tilting her head back so she looked at the ceiling. Then her shoulders slumped as she lowered her chin. "It wasn't long before I came here. It's…the real reason I left Metropolis. I'm pretty sure this guy, if not someone he works with, took him and I've been looking for him since. It's been a couple of months. Every now and then he'll seek me out and say he has him, but each time I get there, Brady's nowhere to be found."

"Or maybe you get too angry too quickly before they can even say anything," Cisco suggested. When all eyes turned to him he shrugged. "It makes sense. I mean, she showed that she does get pretty hotheaded, such as when she was fighting with Barry over here." His eyes lit up. "Hothead! We can call you that."

Chuckling, Cadence lifted a hand. "Please don't," she said to him.

"Do you like Flash Fire? I came up with that one, too."

Cadence ignored his question, instead choosing to concur with his earlier statement. "He does have a point," she agreed. "I've always had a bad temper but when it comes to Brady…that conversation is off limits." _More than they think. _

"Do you have a description of him I could use?" Joe pressed. "A recent picture? What he was last wearing?"

_Like I could forget, _Cadence thought. "He's about four feet. Same hair and eye color, has a mole above his upper lip. Last wearing a black sweatshirt and blue jeans. I remember because he refused to put on a jacket when I kept telling him too, but he was never that great at listening." She smirked. "Kind of like me. I went home and he was just gone."

Joe nodded, taking down the information. "Don't worry, we'll find him."

Cisco took a step towards Cadence. "Am I correct in assuming that the only reason you didn't call the police is because of them finding out about your abilities in some way?"

"I don't make a habit of hiding it when I'm home," Cadence agreed. "But my medical records…if they got a hold of that questions would be asked."

"I agree," Caitlin murmured. She was looking at a tablet that showed Cadence's vitals as she put in the information from the blood pressure test. "It must be difficult to try and hide your natural body temperature and the makeup of your blood when you have a physical conducted."

"You have no idea."

The corner of Caitlin's mouth lifted in a smile before she turned to Dr. Wells. "Her vitals are secure, back down to a normal level."

Dr. Wells nodded. "Thank you, Caitlin." He turned to Joe, raising an eyebrow. "You may want to get that Amber Alert out as soon as you can if you want to have a reasonable chance of finding him." Joe stared hard at him, the same way he had after having met him and the rest of what was left of the S.T.A.R. Labs personnel.

Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco exchanged glances, even they could hear the not so subtle hint to leave in Dr. Well's tone. Joe sucked in a short breath and turned to Barry. "I'll see you at home," he said and Barry nodded before leaving the lab.

With one last glance at Cadence, Dr. Wells turned and wheeled himself out of the lab in the opposite direction.

No one spoke until they both were out of the room. "Something tells me they're not exactly best friends," Cadence remarked.

"Not really," Barry agreed. He scratched the back of his neck. "Joe wasn't very…happy with me when I first started doing this. Our relationship…" he cleared his throat, eyes moving over to Caitlin, who glanced at him for a moment before looking back at the tablet she held in her hands. "It's kind of complicated."

Nodding, Cadence jumped down from the examining table, stretching her arms. She looked over at Barry once more and frowned in concern when she spotted the bruise on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to do that…I mean, I make such a big deal about wanting to meet you, then I go and punch you in the face."

Barry smiled, lifting a hand up to touch the bruise, gently wincing.

"It's not the worst that's happened to him," Cisco pointed out. "All of the other metahumans he's come across have tried to kill him so far." He snapped his fingers, walking over to a desk in the corner of the room. "I bet you're hungry after having used up so much of that power."

"He Cisco'd and energy bar for Barry, to keep up with his constant burning of food. I'd be careful if I were you," Caitlin warned her. "It might not taste very good, but it should do well for your recovery." She put the tablet down and turned to Cadence, holding out her hand. "I don't' think I've formally introduced myself, I'm Caitlin Snow. Physician." She pointed over to Cisco. "And that's Cisco Ramon."

"A technician?" Cadence guessed.

"A scientist, but close enough." Cisco didn't appear to be offended as he handed over her power bar. "So you can raise your body temperature huh? Have you ever used it for anything other than your powers?"

Cadence nodded as she took a bite of the power bar, chewing it hungrily. "Oh yeah, it's the best excuse to get out of work. And if they question it, I just go in and have them place a hand on my forehead." She shrugged. "They stopped questioning it after a while."

"Sweet!"

The fire metahuman laughed at his enthusiasm before smiling warmly. There was something about this group of people she couldn't help but feel at ease with. Knowing she wasn't the only metahuman around, and he, Caitlin, and Dr. Wells were doing so much to help Barry made her feel good. Made her feel safe.

Cisco held up his hands, squinting an eye as he looked Cadence up and down. "And don't worry, I'll have your suit done soon."

"My suit?" she repeated. Cadence blinked twice in confusion before looking over at Barry who smiled.

"It's going to be awesome! I promise. I just need to get some more ideas of how your powers work and I can get started on it. We have to protect your identity somehow, right?"

"Be that as it may, there's nothing else that we can do about it tonight," Caitlin said. She shut off the tablet and yawned lightly, rolling her neck. "It's late and we all need to get some sleep to see if we can figure out what's going on. Staying in shape so that we'll be ready for the next metahuman that comes around."

"That'll give me the rest of the night to catch up on what I've been missing in _The Walking Dead_," Cisco said, rubbing his hands together. The group left S.T.A.R. Labs, heading their separate ways, Caitlin and Cisco going one way and Barry going another.

"I'll see you guys later," Barry called to them, waving.

Cadence waved as well, giving them a smile. "Thanks for the help," she called.

Caitlin nodded and Cisco gave a short wave before they continued on.

The two walked along in silence for a few minutes before Barry spoke up. "You just got to Central City…do you have a place to stay?"

Cadence shrugged. "I don't plan on staying here long, just until I find Brady. Then I'll be back to Metropolis." She blew her hair out of her face. "For now I'm staying in the hotel near here." Her lips twitched. "Ironic, huh?"

Barry smiled "I'd say more like divine coincidence," he said. "Coincidence means to occupy the same place at the same period of time. To correspond exactly in nature, chemistry…things happening at the same time in exact agreement. So basically it means it was destined to happen, though there would be room for it to be considered a coincidence."

"I'll take your word for it," Cadence said, giving him a funny look.

Barry winced. "That would be, what my best friend Iris would call, me going into my 'nerd mode'," he apologized.

"It's better than knocking the wind out of me again." There was a friendly lift to her tone. She wasn't upset about it, he had been trying to help her before she made a big mistake. She could see that now. Though she was sort of bitter by how hard he had managed to hit her. She thought herself to be pretty strong and that was a slap in the face; a warning not to underestimate anyone.

"If you say so. I'm sorry for that, by the way."

Shaking her head, Cadence brushed her dark hair from her face. "Don't be," she said. "I wouldn't have stopped any way. Like I said, if it has to do with Brady, it's my berserk button. It takes a lot for me to calm down. You did what you had to do, I should've listened to your warnings." Her eyebrows twitched. "Cisco said you've faced other metahumans?"

"Yeah, they were all affected by the particle accelerator explosion in some way," Barry said. "It's what put Dr. Wells into the wheelchair and…it killed Caitlin's fiancé." Cadence made a humming sound, glancing over at Barry. She could see something flash through his face, something that was quickly in his eyes then went away, replaced by his easygoing nature. "The metahumans that came from it, that I've come across, in some way are criminals. I've been trying to stop them before they hurt someone. We've started a sort of metahuman jail from what was left of the particle accelerator."

"They've _all_ been evil?"

Barry smiled over at her. "Not all of them," he admitted. "I don't think you're evil. You just want to get you brother back."

"Yeah…" Cadence chewed her lower lip as an image of Brady appeared in her head. The anger that swirled through her made her bite down harder than she intended. She licked away the blood, bringing her fingertips up to her mouth, lightly pressing the wound.

"We're _going _to get him back, Cadence" Barry said firmly. "We're going to find who took him and why and we'll bring him back."

Cadence nodded once more. "Thank you, Barry."

She believed what he had to say. Not because he sounded so sincere in what he was saying to her. Not because he had done his best to stop her from hurting someone as badly as she had wanted to, but because he was a metahuman too and he made her feel less alone. Everyone at S.T.A.R. Labs did and if Dr. Wells trusted him, Caitlin, and Cisco, then she could trust them too.

She was going to get Brady back no matter what it took.

"You're welcome, Cadence."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **And now a little bit from Cadence's POV, so it's not so one-sided. I'm not good at writing large, scientific words, so I try to make it as straightforward as I can. Can anyone guess what's up with Cadence, kudos to those than can figure it out before it's revealed.

Do you like Cadence? I don't want her to come across as a Mary-Sue in a way, so constructive criticism on that would be helpful.

Thanks for all of the favorites and alerts.


	4. Secrets

**.:4:.**

* * *

><p>Cadence growled, crossing her arms over her chest.<p>

Standing on the rooftop, she glared at the hooded figure that stood across from her. The red cloak that surrounded the figure billowed in the wind that blew around the two of them.

Taking a step forward, the fire metahuman clenched her hands into fists. "I've done what I've been told. I got here to Central City, I'm doing my fucking work. Now let Brady go."

A hollow, dry laugh escaped from underneath the hood as the two glowing spots where eyes should've been, pointed directly at her. The figure mimicked her stance, crossing its arms as well. "My dear Cadence, I don't know where to begin with this whole matter. It seems to me that you've only just started what has been assigned of you."

"I can finish the job tomorrow, it didn't take me long to find her." Cadence raked a hand through her hair. "But my bigger job, I'm doing that right now. You know that I do everything I've been told to do. I'm one of your best people that work for you. I've never fucking complained. But the _minute_ that you took Brady from me, just for incentive that I'd do this job, that's where you crossed the line."

"It's merely insurance that things go well," The figure replied. "And it's already starting to work out. Patience, my dear. Patience." He reached out, a hand sliding out from underneath the maroon colored cloak. He reached out and placed his hand on Cadence's shoulder. "Things will work out soon."

* * *

><p>Barry stretched out his legs underneath the table and crossed his legs at the ankle. Reaching out his right hand he took a quick sip of the hot chocolate he had been nursing for the past hour. In his other hand he held the front page of the <em>Central City Citizen<em> reading about the Red Streak and how he or she had brought a wanted criminal to the hospital with mysterious burn marks.

He couldn't help but smile to himself. As important as what he was doing was to the safety of Central City, there was a large amount of pride that he couldn't help but feel. For once his constant running was doing something that he didn't think it would. When he was a kid he was always trying to do the right thing and immediately ran to help someone that was being bullied. Of course it was usually only moments before having to run home to keep from being beaten himself.

Besides, it was nice to know there were people out there that appreciated everything he did, especially when he had to be so quiet about it for the most part. Sighing, he placed his hot chocolate on the table and turned towards the counter, where Iris was carefully taking a few muffins out of the display case to walk over to the table in the back corner.

He hated having to keep secrets from her, his best friend. Especially when she deserved to know. They knew everything about each other. He knew how she loved to eat brownies, how she claimed that she hated Rum Raising Ice cream but would shovel it in when she was depressed, how she was self conscious about her hair due to an unfortunate gum accident—which he could admit was his fault, how she scratched the area just below her right ear when she was nervous.

Everything.

Just as she knew everything about him, other than the most important thing he could ever tell her. Because if he told her how he was The Flash, then that meant he would have to tell her how he felt about her…when it was clear she was head over heels for Eddie Thawne.

He liked being able to see her smile, to see her so happy, he just wished she was the one that could do it for her.

"Please don't tell me there's something on my outfit." Iris's voice startled Barry. He hadn't realized she was that close to him until she had spoken. "I spent way too much time this morning picking it out so that I could go straight from here to lunch with Eddie."

Barry regained his exposure and smiled at her, lifting his hot chocolate in greeting. "I think you look amazing, Iris," he said honestly, taking in her flower sundress and heels. It hurt his head to say so, knowing she only heard it coming from her best friend. "So…where's Eddie taking you?" He turned his attention back to the newspaper, anything to keep her from seeing the grimace on his face.

"The Hilton Gardens," Iris replied, unable to stop the mile wide smile that stretched across her face, lips parting to show off her pearly whites. "It's supposed to be one of the most romantic restaurants in the city."

Barry tried to hide his laughter. "Where they play polka music every hour on the hour?"

Iris's smile dropped for a second as she rolled her eyes. "Yes, the idea of big guys in leather short shorts makes me want to hurl, but it's the thought that counts, Barry Allen." She swung the stack of menus she was holding onto against his arm, causing him to continue laughing. "You wouldn't know romance if it bit you in the leg, but you would if you finally went out on a date." Placing her hands on the table she leaned in towards her best friend. "C'mon, let me set you up with someone. I know plenty of girls that would want to go out with you."

"Nerdy, bumbling, medical examiner, me?" Barry asked with a sarcastic edge to his tone.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, Iris gently shook him. "No. Sweet, amazing, wonderful you. Someone who deserves to be happy."

Barry's smile widened though his heart hurt. _You have to get over this Barry. She doesn't feel the same way, _he told himself. It was what he had told himself a lot over the years as Iris continued to go out with boyfriend after boyfriend, even if they weren't serious. He even tried to rationally tell himself why he shouldn't have feelings for her; she only saw him as a brother, as a best friend, and he was probably only friends with her because she was the only girl that paid him any real attention.

And yet he still couldn't let go of the tiny shred of hope. Just like he couldn't let go of the hope that he would get his father out of jail and figure out who his mother's murderer was. Giving up was not something he ever did and he wasn't going to do it anytime soon.

"I am happy, Iris, but thanks for that," Barry said.

Iris rolled her eyes before shifting her focus to the newspaper Barry was reading. Raising an eyebrow, she reached out and grabbed the newspaper from his hand, shaking it in front of him. "And you make fun of me for wanting to learn more about the Red Streak and yet, here you are reading about him."

"He or _She_," Barry insisted. "And I wasn't even looking at the article, I was looking checking the weather. You know, I was thinking of going running today." Twisting his body to face her, he smiled a little. "And I think you need to do something other than obsess with the Red Streak."

"_He_, has been helping everyone for a long time now," Iris said. She looked at the very blurry picture that resided on the front page. "I just want to know who he is, what he's doing, why he's doing it."

"That's like asking why a firefighter runs into burning buildings," Barry pointed out. "It's his job."

"Exactly!" Iris agreed. "If it's his job then why now? Why not before?"

Barry laughed, impressed with the way Iris wouldn't allow him to put down what she believed in, and waved behind him as the bell over the front door rang, signaling a new patron to Jitters. "You have a customer, quit bothering me."

"Please, I make your day," Iris said. She flashed Barry another smile and walked away from the table to greet the new customers to the coffee shop. He watched her leave then his eyes shifted towards Caitlin and Cisco had just come through the doors and were heading his way.

Cisco was, anyway. He was practically dragging Caitlin behind him and through the café. The bioengineering expert was practically digging her heels into the floor, practically stumbling as Cisco continued to bring her forward. The young man stopped to talk to Iris for a second, who directed them over towards Barry before leading them over.

Barry's eyes widened in shock and whipped back around, trying to appear as calm as anyone could if their secret was about to be exposed to some of the closest people in their lives. He composed himself as Iris walked over, holding out an arm and two menus, Cisco and Caitlin sliding into the seats across from him.

"Here are your menus," Iris said to the two. "And I'll be back in a few minutes for your drink order." She leaned forward. "Though I suggest that you don't go for the cappuccino, our steamed-milk machine isn't working and our whipped cream is kinda old." She grimaced a little.

"That makes it sound so delicious, Ris," Barry said to her.

She gave him the stink eye, forming her fingers into the shape of a 'V' and mimed poking herself in the eyes with it before pointing at Barry. She then left the table, leaving a giggling Cisco and an amused Caitlin behind. Barry turned towards them, pressing his fingertips into his temples.

"I think I'm starting to understand how frustrated Dr. Snow gets sometimes," He said to Cisco and Caitlin.

"Good to know that my worries are starting to be realized," Caitlin said. She reached out and shoved Cisco on the shoulder. "I told you that coming here wasn't a good idea. But no, you just had to have your hot chocolate."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Barry lowered his voice. "Shouldn't you be in S.T.A.R. Labs working on the next industrialized mouse trap or something?"

Cisco laughed. "No, but that's totally something I should've thought about," he said. "I mean, most people do their experiments on rats, right? Don't be surprised if you see giant, mutant rats running around Central City soon."

Caitlin rolled her eyes.

Barry chuckled. Then he turned a serious eye to his friends. "You should've told me you were coming," he said. "Now I have to figure out how to keep Iris from…" he trailed off, moving his hand up to cover his mouth.

Giving him a sympathetic glance, Caitlin clasped her hands together, resting them not he table. "Look, we understand how hard it is to keep this secret from your girlfriend, but it's the best thing to do right now," She said. "What do you think will happen if she can't keep the secret? More and more people are going to find out what we're doing and it's not going to help us or Dr. Wells in the long run. I mean, Detective West knowing is alright, his job description makes it so that he can keep a lot of potentially dangerous things confidential, but this." She shook her head. "Sorry, but we can't risk it."

Barry listened patiently to what Caitlin had to say, that small smile gracing his lips. The one that he usually had that matched his sunny disposition. Now he tended to smile a bit more when she was around because he found it funny how…strong and serious she was about everything at S.T.A.R. Labs. Not funny in a humorous way, but in a way that he found to be admirable. Most girls Caitlin's age were wondering if they were going to get married, or what even they were going to, or what the next thing he was going to buy was.

(In his experience anyway, he knew not all women were that way).

However, he had never met someone so driven as Caitlin, someone who had continued to work with S.T.A.R. Labs and constantly satiated her curiosity of the world and scientific fields whenever something new arose.

As per usual, he had blinked out, in confused, when he heard the word 'girlfriend' in conjunction with Iris. Was he really that easy to read or was their chemistry together just that great.

"Oh, me and Iris…" Barry shook his head. "We're not dating, we're just friends."

Cisco nodded, giving him a serious look. "Friendzoned?"

"Friendzoned? Wha? No. It—it's not like that, we're _just_ friends."

An expression that Barry couldn't place slid across Caitlin's face. "Oh. I'm sorry I assumed then," she said. She looked over her shoulder towards the African-American girl as she headed back towards the table to take their order. "But one thing I learned since the particle accelerator…" she sighed heavily. "Life is short, you don't want to waste time."

"Considering how fast I move, I have nothing but time." Barry sat up straight moving his hot chocolate to his mouth as Iris came back to the table. He hoped she hadn't heard anything that he had said, but as she took Cisco's and Caitlin's orders—a hazelnut coffee with so much cream and sugar it would probably equal to the amount of lollipops and twizzlers he ate while in S.T.A.R. Labs, and an iced coffee—she didn't appear to notice.

"So," Iris started, jotting down the orders. "How do you know Barry? He's usually so busy I didn't think that he had time to meet anyone new."

"Well," Cisco started. He cleared his throat, thinking quickly. "We met at a comic book convention not too long ago."

"Oh." Iris eyed Caitlin, her eyebrows twitching. "All of you?"

Caitlin managed a smile. "Yeah, I love me some Catwoman." She leaned over towards Cisco. "Catwoman is a superhero right?" He nodded and she righted herself back in her seat.

"Well, I'm glad you made some new friends," Iris said to Barry with a tight-lipped smile. Her eyes were lit up as they usually were to match her bubbly personality but he could tell she was annoyed that he hadn't ever mentioned them. "I'll get you your coffee."

Cisco watched her leave. "And you're _not_ going out with her?"

"Down Cisco," Caitlin said to him.

Barry laughed once more. "So what are you guys really doing here? Did you want to take some sort of swab? Do some more mind games? Check my reflexes? 'Cause I'll have you know that my reflexes are just as quick. It's like I have spidey-sense or something."

"Wouldn't that be so cool?" Cisco agreed, eyes lighting up. "I mean, to be able to sense something before it even happens just because of a sixth sense kind of thing?"

"The mechanics behind that is amazing. It's supposed to denote psychic abilities such as telepathy, clairaudience, and clairvoyance, and their trans-temporal operation as precognition or retrocognition. There are even some tests that go along with it such as the ganzfeld experiment and the—"He suddenly broke off, watching the stunned expressions on Caitlin's and Cisco's faces. "And I'm going full nerd again Sorry."

"Don't apologize, Barry," Caitlin protested. "We're all scientists and find different things of interest. It's refreshing." She leaned back, crossing her legs at the knee. "We came here because…you know a lot about us and the things we do, but we don't really know about you. So Cisco suggested that we come to see what you do when you're not at S.T.A.R. Labs."

"Well, you caught me on my day off," Barry said. He looked down as his cell phone stated to ring. Letting out a sigh he reached into his jean pockets and glanced at the caller ID. Seeing it was Joe he checked the time. It was still early so that meant he was still on shift, he was being called in.

He knew his day was going too well.

"Then again, I think I'm being called in." Barry jumped down from the seat. "It was nice to see you guys…outside the Lab. Too bad Dr. Wells couldn't join us, it'd be a real party." He paused, scratching the back of his neck. "Wait, that sounded really sarcastic. I meant that it'd be cool if we all hung out more, even though Wells is kind of old." Now he slapped his hand over his face. "Not that he's _really_ old but—"

"Barry!" Caitlin interrupted. "Just go!"

"Right. See ya." Barry hurried out of Jitters and swiped his thumb across the front of the phone. "Hey Joe."

"Yeah, Barry, I know that you have the day off, but something tells me that you need to come see this one," Detective West said. There was the sound of crunching and he spoke in a quieter voice. Judging by the voices in the background Barry could tell that he wasn't able to get away from the other officers around them. "There are some things that don't add up."

"I'm on it."

Barry looked around before zipping off to the scene of the crime. He arrived at the destination, a house in the suburbs of Central City, and brought his satchel to his side, hurrying inside. Detective West and a senior officer, one who was almost always on Barry's case, turned towards him as he walked up. Barry's eyes moved along the floor where sheets were covering bodies on the floor.

"Domestic violence," Detective West called over to Barry. "Judging by the bruises around her neck and how close the two have fallen together."

Eyes moving around the scene, Barry pulled gloves onto his hands and kneeled down by the first body. He pulled back the sheet and looked over the man that lay prone on the floor. Studying him for a long moment, he sat up and looked around the room. It had been trashed, as was to be expected with a scene of domestic violence; lamps were knocked over, books had fallen to the floor from the bookshelf, things were in disarray. Barry then went over to the woman that was under the other sheet, and studied the woman. The bruises around her neck were red and slightly puffy, bruising already starting to set in.

Barry started to stand up and a few things caught his attention. First was the picture that sat on the end table beside the woman. A photograph of the two adults and a small child in between then made his heart go falling to his feet.

They looked so happy.

Much like he, his father, and mother did when he was young. It made him angry. This kid hadn't only just lost his mother but lost his father as well. Where was he going to go? What was he going to do? What was going to happen to him? Did he have a best friend that he could move in with?

"The kid is at school," Joe said, coming up behind Barry. "Some police officers have notified his grandparents and they're on their way to get him."

"It's just not fair, Joe," Barry murmured. "This shouldn't have happened."

He stood up straight, ready to give his explanation of the crime scene then froze. Something cool had whipped across his face. Was there a draft? He walked over to the nearest window and pulled back the curtains. The window looked like it always did, but Barry moved his hand down and held it by the sill of the window, feeling a draft. Moving closer, he gently pressed the palm of his hand against the window and quickly caught it as it shifted out of place, nearly falling into the backyard.

"Just as I thought," Barry said. He carefully brought the window pane over and set it on the nearby couch. "This isn't a domestic violence call," he explained to Joe. "Not only is the bruising on her neck inconsistent to that of being strangled, it's sort of puffy, as if there was a lot of heat placed against her skin as well. And then there's the mess around the room. If she were running _away _from her husband, than these books and lamps would have fallen in different places. But, it appears that they were being hurtled _toward_ the person from a far distance. Plus the crack in the lamp isn't consistent with someone falling into it, rather than it being used as a weapon. I surmise that the wife was attacked by someone and then the husband came running in to help her and was attacked as well. Especially as the bodies are so far from each other and it doesn't appear that there are any wounds on him rather than the straight blunt force trauma to the skull.

"And then there's the window sill. Whoever did this tried to conceal their tracks and punched out the pane to get into the house and considering it was the only place of entry it's the same way the person got back out. The fact that there is grass under the window as opposed to mud or a bush that would show if there had been someone there has made it so that any tracks will be harder to find."

All of a sudden, there was a loud gasping sound and Barry whirled around to find the woman had sat up and was gasping for air, frantically thrashing around as she tried to collect her bearings. The officers around them immediately sprang into action, looking her over and calling for an ambulance.

Joe turned to Eddie. "I want you to talk to the neighbors again," he directed. "Ask them if they saw any intruders or saw anything suspicious. I know many of them are at work, but there has to be someone around that would've seen anything suspicious."

"I'm on it," Eddie said with a nod. He hurried out the front door and went over to the surrounding houses.

Joe then turned back to Barry. "Do you think a metahuman has anything to do with this?" He asked.

"I'm not exactly sure," Barry replied. "There doesn't appear to be anything here that would show it to be a metahuman. But that woman…she needs to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. She…she can't leave her son behind." He swallowed painfully. "I don't want anyone to have to do go through the same thing I did."

"They won't have to," Joe reassured him. "Not when we figure out what really happened to her."

Barry nodded, trying not to let the emotions of it take him over. He wondered if there was ever going to be a time where he would be able to finally figure out what happened, to stop being so caught up with the nightmares that constantly plagued him, to have a time where everything around him didn't remind him of his mother and the dark past he was trying to get through. In a way it was good, the more the thought about it, the more he focused on it the better chances he had of figuring out what really happened that night.

Reaching out a hand, Joe placed it on Barry's shoulder, gently rubbing his neck with his thumb. He looked his surrogate son in the eyes and gently tilted his head back towards the street. "Go to the hospital, I'm sure you want to know how the woman is doing. It might give an explanation to what happened here as well."

Glancing up towards his surrogate-father, Barry nodded, swallowing thickly. He backed out of the house and zipped to the hospital. He knew it would take a while for the paramedics to get the woman there, and it would give him some time to wrap his head around some things. There was something about that house, something he was missing that would clue him in to what had really gone on to the family.

_Why would they have been targeted? _He asked, flopping down in a chair in the waiting room. _What made it so that family was the one had been attacked? _He closed his eyes, tilting his head back. _What was it about Mom that had her be attacked? She didn't do anything to anyone, we kept to ourselves. Dad was a doctor, why would someone want to have him convicted for the crime?_

"Barry?" Opening his eyes, Barry turned to see Cadence walking his way, dressed in scrubs and a lab coat. A stethoscope hung around her neck and bounced against her chest as she walked over to him. "What are you doing here?" She sat down in a seat across from him, gazing at him in worry. "Did someone you know come in?"

Barry shook his head. "It's a…long story," he said. "It's my day off, I was just called to a crime scene that was strange, to say the least." He lowered his voice, leaning towards her. "There was a couple who had been murdered, or at least we thought she was. The woman just woke up, she's being sent here. But the crime scene was weird, it was arranged to look like domestic violence, but the clues show that it was a break in of some sort."

Cadence's eyebrows rose. "Do you think it was another metahuman?" She remembered how he had said, while promising that he would find Brady, that there were metahumans they were looking for, in case they were evil or criminals.

"I'm not sure," he said honestly. "Though that would make sense, depending on what the power is." He shook his head. "I really don't know." All of a sudden he looked stricken. "Am I keeping you from something? You must be hard at work right now. Well, maybe not right now since you're talking to me. Not that you don't work hard, but that—"

Cadence held up her hands. "Whoa, calm down, Barry. I just got off the clock, I was headed back to the hotel in a few minutes, actually." She dropped her hands back to her lap before giving him a funny look. "It's weird, though. One minute you can be a smooth talking gentleman then the next you have your foot in your mouth." She gave him a sly smile. "Or are you only like that around girls?"

Barry gave a fleeting smile in reply.

"What are you doing here, Barry?" She asked him, voice filled with concern. "Not many strangers come in to see how a patient is doing after they're whisked away."

Clasping his hands together, Barry took a deep breath. "I guess because I know how it feels," he said. Cadence tilted her head to the side, allowing her dark brown hair to fall out of her hazel eyes. Barry glanced at the scar that was on her cheek, running from the bottom of her jaw up towards her nose. "Back when I was little, when I was eleven or so, I saw my Mom get murdered," he explained. Cadence's eyes widened slightly. "My dad was implicated for the crime. I know it was some sort of metahuman or something that did it, there was a lightning tornado and I saw someone inside. It's how I got into criminology in college and started working for the CCPD. I want to figure out what really happened that night and how to get my Dad out of jail." He wrung his hands together. "When I saw that the woman was dead…I saw the family picture behind her. She has a son…I don't want to see him go through the same thing I did."

Cadence slowly nodded. "I can make sure my colleagues give him the best care she can get. And…I'm sorry about your mother."

"Thanks."

Running his hands over his face, Barry let out a quiet sigh. "I really want to help you find your brother, Cadence. All of us at S.T.A.R. Labs do. Once Michael Bloom is discharged from the hospital, we can find him and—"

"No need," Cadence said shortly. "He's not talking. I'm going to have to find him some other way, I guess." She ran a hand through her hair, glaring towards the ground. "He wouldn't have gone missing if I hadn't…" she trailed off, looking away from the fast metahuman.

"We'll find him," Barry said with utmost certainty. "I want to help as many people as I can. I want to help _you_."

Cadence nodded and looked at her watch. "I'm sure the woman you're waiting for will be fine. If she managed to fight off whomever or whatever it was that attacked her, she has a strong enough will to live. I've seen a lot of miracles, working on my residency, I think this will be another one." She brushed off her clothes. "I guess I'll see you later."

Barry waved his goodbye and made himself comfortable, he was going to be waiting for a long time. It had only taken a few minutes for the silence to be broken by his phone going off once more. He pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at the Caller ID. Seeing it was Caitlin he immediately brought the phone up to his ear.

"What's going on?"

"There an electrical storm you may want to check out," Caitlin said.

"An electrical storm?" Barry sounded skeptical. "I know they can be dangerous, but—"

"One that's come out of nowhere, more importantly, inside a school?"

A sharp intake of breath caused Barry to start coughing. An electrical storm inside the school? Maybe it was the same sort of quick moving lightning that had hurt his mother. What if it was the same person striking again? He needed to know for sure. He needed to save those kids.

Barry ended the call and turned back towards the doors of the hospital. Cadence had already disappeared from sight. It wouldn't be too hard to find her. He raced out the front of the hospital and followed after the fire metahuman, coming to a stop in front of her.

Cadence's eyes widened as the sudden gust of wind blew her hair in front of her face. "Wow. I mean, I know I can move fast, but that's awesome."

Grinning, Barry crossed his arms over his chest. "Do want to help me catch a metahuman?"

* * *

><p>"I can't believe I'm finally going to be able to show off my newest creation," Cisco said, rubbing his hands together. He turned and faced Barry, who was already dressed in his suit, and Cadence, who stood beside him, arms crossed and waiting for the big reveal. "Now, it might not be your style, but I had to come up with something that wouldn't catch on fire when you used your mojo. And, I had to make sure that there wasn't a lot of coverage or else it would cause your body temperature to rise at an even more accelerated rate."<p>

"Hurry up Cisco, they don't have a lot of time," Caitlin said, her face illuminated by the computer screen. "And electromagnetic field is starting to come up around the school and if they don't get there soon, they may not be able to get in."

"OK." Cisco reached over to a panel on the wall and pressed his palm against it. The panel slid upwards and a female mannequin came sliding out, holding onto Cadence's costume. It consisted of black ankle boots, black shorts, gray spandex leggings that reached the knee, a red crop top, a darker red shrunken jacket over top, and a black bandana. Around the neck of the mannequin were goggles. "Tada!"

"Wow." Cadence walked over to the suit and gently tugged on the fabric of the leggings. It snapped back into place as she let go. "And it's fire retardant?"

"And friction retardant as well," Cisco agreed. "There are also gloves with heat seeking mechanisms in them that'll help you detect the heat from another metahuman as well as help you being able to control the fire that you emit."

"Goggles?" Barry pulled down his hood and walked over to the suit, pulling at the eyewear. "How come she gets goggle and I have to wear a mask and hood?"

"Because her hair is long enough to aid in hiding her identity," Cisco explained.

"We don't have _time _for this!" Caitlin snapped. "Get going! Now!"

"Sheesh, if this is what she's like when she's in a good mood, I'd hate to see what happens when she gets pissed off," Cadence remarked.

Barry turned to Cadence. "Are you ready?"

Cadence, using her enhanced speed, deposited her street clothes into a locker, and changed into her costume before standing back at Barry's side. She pulled her goggles down over her eyes. "Ready," she replied.

* * *

><p>Dr. Harrison Wells sat in the confines of his office. He didn't need to go out to watch Barry and Cadence fend off the newest threat. There was no need. It wasn't a particularly strong metahuman, probably a teenager that had his powers manifested and was showing off to his classmates. Or was getting revenge on a teacher. The preliminary scan showed that the metahuman's electrical storm wasn't holding up for very long periods of time.<p>

There was no use in watching to see how the two would take care of that metahuman.

Instead, Dr. Wells retreated to his office. Once he was sure he was alone he had risen from his wheelchair and walked to the cabinet in the far corner of the room. Pulled a drawer off of its tracks, he gently placed it on the floor and pulled out a folder that had been taped to the back of the cabinet. Returning to his chair, he sat down and dropped the folder on his desk.

To anyone it would've looked like a normal folder that held many files, figures, and charts to help their research. That was what most of his folders contained, his ideas and innovations that had put S.T.A.R. Labs on the map including the original sketches for the particle accelerator. No, this one held things that were much more important.

Dr. Wells took a deep breath and pulled open the front of the folder, immediately graced with a newspaper clipping of a little girl that had won a third grade science fair. Pushing it aside, he moved more newspaper clipping out of the way. A clipping of the news of a birth, a clipping of a win of an English award, of getting on the honor roll, of graduating from college. Many clippings that held the image of the same girl over the course of her lifetime.

Clippings of Cadence.

Eyes scanning over the words that popped up from the pages, Dr. Wells tapped a finger against his chin, lost his thought. He was broken out of his reverie by a knock on the door and he quickly tucked the clippings back inside before lifting himself up from his seat and placing the folder underneath him.

"Just a minute," he called. Sitting on the folder, he directed his wheelchair to the door and pulled it open to reveal Caitlin standing a few steps away from the doorway. "Is there something wrong, Dr. Snow?"

"I just wanted to let you know that Cadence and Barry had gotten inside the school," she said. "And that the electromagnetic field has fallen. We aren't sure whether or not this is a metahuman that is a teenager or a criminal, if the latter what they want to do with the school, but the two should have him here and in the jail soon."

"Thanks for the update, though I'm not particularly too concerned with this metahuman," Dr. Wells said honestly. He grabbed onto the joystick and pulled it backwards, wheeling his chair back from him. Looking at his colleague for a long moment, he rested his forefinger and thumb against his face, framing his mouth. "Dr. Snow, why do you continue to work here? I've told you..after I was discharged, that I couldn't pay you. Not only that, but I don't believe working with Barry has been…challenging enough for you."

Caitlin couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Believe me, Dr. Wells, he's challenge enough," She remarked. Then she fell silent, looking at her feet. That was what Dr. Wells had wanted, he wanted her to think about Ronnie. To think about her fiancé and figure out what was it that was keeping her working with him, in an environment that would haunt most people for the rest of their lives. She put on a brave face every day and while there were times where she would break down, she still came to work every day. "I stay because there's so much to be discovered out there. I'd like to know what it was that made the particle accelerator to fail, if there's anything we could do to ensure a success if we were to try again.

"The backlash against only you isn't fair…all of us were working on it. We knew the risks. But we wouldn't be scientists if we continuously balked at failure." Caitlin shrugged. "Besides, once I start something, it's really hard to get me to stop." She gave a half smile.

Dr. Wells nodded. She didn't know it, but her words held a lot of significance to him. He started to turn his chair around. "Keep me posted."

"I will."

Caitlin left Dr. Well's office, closing the door behind her. Once he was sure she had gone back to help Barry and Cadence, Dr. Wells wheeled back over to the cabinet. Standing up, he grabbed the folder and replaced it against the back of the cabinet and carefully maneuvered the drawer back inside as well.

He let out a quiet sigh as he lowered himself back into the wheelchair.

How many more mistakes was he going to make before he could correct them all?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So what is it that Cadence is hiding? Clearly she's not exactly who she says she is, but to what extent. ;) I'm really excited for the reveal, those that are in the know with DC Comics might guess it before the big reveal simply from the opening paragraph.

I have a theory; in the first episode when Wells, Caitlin, and Cisco are testing Barry's speed at the air field, he's the only one that puts on a pair of sunglasses. Why? Because he knows how bright the flashes surrounding The Flash can be extremely bright. How? Because he's the one that killed Barry's mother. And am I the only one that can see Caitlin and Wells together? I really enjoy Lizicia's story _I Hold The Ashes In My Hand_ and really do like the idea of that ship. So at this point, I have a bit of Snowbarry and WestAllen in this story, and someone asked for Barry/Cadence, however I don't know what the ultimate pairings are going to be.

If you want a good idea of Cadence's costume, it's a mixture of Eri's and Fio's outfits from Metal Slug with a few adjustments.

Cheers,

~Riles


	5. Mysteries

**.:5:.**

* * *

><p>Barry hurried into his lab at the CCPD, tossed his jacket down onto his chair, and flopped down into the seat. Reaching out, he shuffled papers across the face of his desk and leaned over it; the perfect image of a guy hard at work.<p>

Hard at work pretending that his mind wasn't preoccupied with S.T.A.R. Labs and the metahumans they had captured there. Kyle Nimbus was still inside his cell, now instead of constantly turning into gas to try and break out, he sat sullenly in the corner of his cell, glaring at anybody that passed. But now he had a cell mate as Sam Mitchell, or Thunderman as Cisco called him, was in a cell as well.

He had been the one to attack the school and while it had taken him and Cadence a while to take him down, he was very much ready to continue to attack the school. Not only had he wanted to get revenge on it, having been bullied relentlessly while he had attended. Not only was he directly tormenting the teacher that had been the root of the bullying, but he had planned on blowing up the rest of the school with this thunder powers.

Barry rested his chin in his hand, thinking about the fight. It had been a particularly tough one. He arrived at the school, crashing into an invisible wall and flying back onto the ground. He was paralyzed for a moment, unable to move his arms and legs. Cadence had appeared at his side a few moments later, noticing that he was lying on the ground and stopping short of the wall. She reached out a hand and pressed a finger against the electromagnetic field, immediately receiving a shock to her finger.

"Ow!" Waving her hand, Cadence turned and knelt down by Barry's side, helping him sit up. "Something tells me you now know what a bug zapper feels like."

"Yeah, and what happens when water conducts electricity," Barry agreed. "Though it now makes me wonder why I didn't get that 'A' when I tested it for a science project back in second grade. It was a good experiment too. I took a cork and—"

"Barry!" Dr. Well's voice came over his ear piece. "As interesting as your academic prowess were when you were a child, we have more pressing matters to get through."

Barry nodded, standing up. "I don't know how we'll be able to get in there. The field is probably taking over the whole school. And this guy—"

"Thunderman," Cisco jumped in. "Sam Mitchell, I call him Thunderman."

"Right…Thunderman." Barry was sure Caitlin was rolling her eyes. "He's the center of the electromagnetic field, I'm sure of it. But if he's the center of it, he's the source, I don't think there's any way that we can—"

"Barry, wait!" Caitlin interrupted.

"What's going on?" Cadence stepped closer to Barry and moved her head towards his so she could hear what was being said. "Do they have any ideas of how we're going to get in there? Unlike you, I don't particularly want to be turned into barbecue." Her hands twitched at her sides, the tips starting to glow.

"Our scanners just showed that the field went down," Caitlin said. There was the sound of her fingers flying over the buttons on a keyboard seconds before it was drowned out by the sound of an explosion. Barry and Cadence immediately slapped their hands over their ears, trying to block the sound away.

"That sounded like thunder," Cadence remarked.

"That's it!" Caitlin cried. "The field goes down whenever he uses his power. Just like if you were to rub your feet along the carpet to conduct static electricity. It takes him some time to get the friction to get the energy he needs to be able to attack again. That's when the field goes up."

"Wait until you hear the thunder again," Cisco suggested. "Then you can get inside the field without—"

"Fuck that," Cadence interrupted. "That's going to take too long." She moved away from Barry and fireballs appeared above her hands. "The longer we wait, the more kids are going to get hurt and I'm not going to have that on my conscience!" She turned and thrust her hands out. Streams of fire shot out and hit the field, creating a low thudding sound.

"Cadence, don't!" Barry cried. "You don't know what it's going to do!"

"No, wait," Dr. Wells insisted. Barry reached his hand up and pressed it against the ear piece. Had he heard him correctly?

"Wait? But—"

"Trust me, Barry; this is something you're going to want to see."

Lowering his hand, Barry stepped back and watched as Cadence continued to shoot blasts of fire towards the shield that was in front of them. And as he watched, he could see tiny bolts of electricity continue to fly out of her hands, striking the barrier as well. It continued on like that for a few moments until she was shooting bolts of pure electricity out of her hands.

"How is she doing that?" Barry asked.

Cadence slowly lowered her hands, her brown eyes widening in awe behind her goggles as crackles of electricity moved around her fingers. Lifting her head, she looked over at Barry and was that she was just as confused as he was.

"Pyro-Electrokinesis," Dr. Wells said. There was an air of pride in his voice. "The ability to manipulate fire and electricity. They hold the same properties as well as the basis of electricity coming from heat."

"That…is _so_ cool," Cisco declared. "OK, now Glow Stick could really work for a name because of that, but I don't think it holds the same sort of power as The Flash. I really need to go back to the drawing board on this one."

"Ignore him," Caitlin snapped. "Now that she can manipulate electricity as well, you can break down the barrier and get in there. Stop him before he hurts anyone else!"

"You got it."

Barry turned and nodded towards Cadence who used her newfound abilities to knock down the shield before the two had gone inside. It had been difficult to take down Sam; no matter how quickly he or Cadence moved to dodge his attacks he shot blasts of electricity in their way, as if anticipating their movements. Barry waited until Sam started to tire out and used his speed to get in a bunch of punches and kicks at warped speed, so that the students and teacher that huddled in the back of the room weren't able to see.

Cadence then, after seeing Barry knock Sam to the ground, used a bolt of electricity on him. A thundercloud had appeared in the room and a brilliant white bolt shot down from the ceiling in a direct hit. The electricity that coursed through Sam's veins overloaded his body and he was immediately knocked out. Throwing him over his shoulder, Barry picked him up and threw him over her shoulder and the two raced back to S.T.A.R. Labs to deposit him in a cell of the particle accelerator.

"So how'd the suit work out?" Cisco asked as Cadence as Dr. Wells made sure that the cell would hold the electric meta-human. "I didn't figure that you'd be able to manipulate electricity too, so I think I may need to change some of it to be sure that you don't conduct anything while you're doing your thing."

"Just as long as you don't call me Glow Stick," Cadence replied with a half smile. Then the smile faded as she walked over towards the cell. Eyes narrowing in disgust, she shook her head, looking over towards the teen as he sat in the back of his cell, tossing a ball of electricity back and forth between his hands. Noticing her in front of him he glared and she lifted her middle finger in response.

"This is simply amazing," Caitlin said, walking around Cadence as she slowly raised and lowered a canner. "I've always known the properties of fire and electricity to be the same, everyone knows that. But I didn't think it'd be possible for one metahuman to be able to control both."

Barry twisted his mouth to the side, scratching the side of his head. "Would that be possible for me, too?" Then a frown crossed his face as he thought about the night his mother had been murdered. There was that tornado, the person inside it having the same powers Barry did. But was he able to control electricity as well? He sort of remembered there being little crackles that would suggest it. And even if he wasn't the one to be able to control it typically, it didn't mean that he couldn't eventually work his way up to it. It was like Caitlin was saying earlier, if he could run especially fast over an area that was conductible, he'd be able to do it too.

_Or are there other abilities that I haven't learned yet, _Barry thought, now focusing back on the work in front of him. _I only just got my powers months ago; she's had hers for a long time. _Reaching up a hand, he made sure that all of his hair was still in place. As they had been leaving, Cadence had touched the metal handle of the door to S.T.A.R. Labs at the same time that Cisco had touched the other one and a jolt of electricity had gone through, gently shocking those that were nearest to her. She had quickly apologized, trying to hide her laughter at the way everyone's hair had stood on end. _There's a lot we still don't know about this._

"Barry!"

Startled, Barry looked up in time to see Iris and Eddie walking into his lab. He tried to hide his grimace, noticing the two of them holding hands. It's not like they flaunted it in his face, he had been the one to remind them time and time again that he knew about their relationship in their awkward silences when he was around. As long as he didn't have to see it, he could go on pretending it didn't exist.

"Oh, hey, guys," she said as casually as he could. "What are you doing up here?"

Eddie dropped his hand from Iris's and clasped it around the tiny notebook he pulled from his pocket. "Joe is asking for the information from the domestic violence case," Eddie replied, raising an eyebrow. "Remember? He wanted to get clarification of the fingerprints that were found on the woman's neck as well as around the apartment." He nodded towards the papers that sat in front of Barry. "And those files are some of the findings from the medical examiner. Have you gotten a chance to look over them?"

"Oh." Barry's gaze lowered to the papers that sat in front of him. "Well, I—"

Iris, sending Barry's hesitation, turned towards her boyfriend and laid a hand on her arm. "Eddie, give him a break," she suggested. "He only just got here and you're already throwing questions at him a mile a minute." Flashing a warm smile that only Iris West could do, she rubbed his arm. "Relax a little."

Taking the moment of Eddie's distraction, Barry used his speed to flip through the pages, taking in the information that was given to him. That was one of the things he really enjoyed about his newfound abilities. Not only was he smart in the first place, but now that he had his metahuman abilities he was able to process information much faster than he had before. The only drawback was when he was trying to sleep, not only had he had an active mind when he was young, but now his thoughts flew through his head so fast he was up for hours before he finally got drowsy enough to fall asleep and even then his dreams flashed by at a mile a minute.

"Yes, well," he stood up, holding the pages in his hands. "The DNA on the woman's neck doesn't match any of the criminals we have in the database meaning, at this point, it could be just about anyone. As well as the information from the medical examiner concluding that the man had died from blunt force trauma to the head. Considering the skull fracture as well as the placement of the blow, I would assume that he had been taken by surprise and then his wife came in to try and help and wound up caught in the crossfire as well." Smirking, he handed the papers over to Eddie. "I'd say you're looking for the weapon that caused the blunt force trauma, which could be anything in the house. I'd look for a bat or a golf club of some sort."

Eddie slowly reached out, taking the papers from Barry's hands. He watched the forensic assistant suspiciously before he sighed, shoulders relaxing. "Well, thank you, Barry. Now I can finally tell Joe that there was a break in the case." He turned and started to leave the room.

"Have you heard anything about the woman?" Barry called after him. He chewed his lower lip. "I-Is she alright? What about her son?" He looked over at Iris as she turned her gaze to the floor, appearing just as anxious as he was. She knew it was hard for him to get through his mother's death, especially considering how he had and continued to maintain the idea that his father hadn't done what he did.

But the story was strange.

A man in a tornado?

Was that even possible?

But it was really sweet how he had hadn't wanted anything like that to happen to any other kid. He could be a bit socially awkward around people, but he was a big brother to every kid that seemed to come his way.

Eddie, knowing the story of Barry Allen's parents—the whole city knew of it—gave Barry a sympathetic glance. He sighed then responded, "She's still in the coma she had fallen into after arriving at the hospital. There hasn't been any improvements or otherwise." He walked over to Barry and placed a hand on his shoulder. It took everything I Barry's body not to shrug the hand off of his shoulder. Not only would it put major points _against _him in Iris's eyes, but it would be disrespectful to his co-worker. "We'll let you know when something happens, Barry. I promise."

Barry nodded and Eddie turned, leaving the lab.

Iris watched her boyfriend leave then turned to her best friend, her lips slightly pursed. Lowering himself in his chair, Barry reached out towards the packet of fries from Big Belly Burger and froze when he spotted the stare that Iris was sending his way. "Yes?"

"You just got here a few minutes ago," Iris accused him.

Barry hesitated for a moment, it was the slowest he had moved in a long time, and then stuck a fry into his mouth in nonchalance. "What makes you say that?"

Rolling her eyes, the young woman walked around the desk to stand next to her best friend. "Does it matter other than that Dad was asking for you?" She crossed her arms. "And when I came up here a few minutes ago, you weren't here. I have no idea how you managed to get back so fast. I'd think you were a ninja if that was the most reasonable explanation to why you're being so secretive lately."

His heart sank.

Still, he didn't say anything, wondering how much she had figured out yet.

"And when you came over for dinner, you smelled like smoke," Iris continued. "And when I asked you, you said that someone had smoked a cigarette near you. Barry, we both tried cigarettes for the first time, together. I think I know the smell of something that nearly made us hack up a lung." She ran a hand over her face. "And thank God it didn't become a habit; I wouldn't want any premature wrinkling. _Or _to get winded when I'm shopping. The Central City Mall has four floors; not being able to make it around one would be murder."

"No, we wouldn't want that," Barry agreed. Iris playfully hit him on the arm. "Not that it'd matter, Iris, you'd look amazing even if you had wrinkles."

"That's not going to get you out of this," Iris warned. She uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips, leaning towards him. Her eyes were set right on him and he looked back into them, briefly stunned by how serious they were. Her eyes, honestly, were his favorite part about her, they were always so expressive. All of her emotions were revealed by her eyes and he constantly found himself lost in them. Now, however, he was worried at the seriousness she saw in them.

She wasn't going to let him go without getting answers.

"Barry Allen, what is it that you're keeping from me?" She demanded. When Barry didn't quickly answer, she tilted her head to the side. "Are you having trouble at work? Are you getting chased by a bad crowd again?"

His features twisted into an expression of offense. When he was younger he had problem with bullies. He didn't like the way they picked on the smaller kids and stood up for them the best he could, often resulting in his getting chased and pummeled in return. Now she was insinuating that he had more people chasing after him and that he couldn't take care of himself.

_If only she knew how many guys I've been able to put away, _he thought, starting to smirk once more. _Then she wouldn't think of me as whimpy little Barry Allen anymore. _

"What is it?" She demanded. "We used to talk about everything, Barry."

"We didn't talk about when you decided to start going out with Eddie," Barry shot back before he could stop himself. Iris's eyes flashed. "I mean, you kept that huge secret from me. Why didn't you tell me, Iris? I could've helped keep your Dad from finding out."

"You were in a coma, Barry."

_Oh yeah. _The Flash's eyes shifted. Still, it hurt. After seeing the way she had reacted to him surprising her at Jitters…and then finding her kiss another guy. She _hadn't _planned on telling him unless he had found out. That wasn't a life-threatening secret—not his life anyway—that had no means to be kept from him. She hadn't kept her other boyfriends a secret and not all of them were that great either. "Still, you didn't seem like you were going to say anything until you had to. Like Joe!" He gestured towards the opening of the lab.

"Hi Daddy," Iris said softly.

Looking to the side, Barry noticed that Detective West watching the two of them. From the unappreciative expression on his face, he had been watching the two of them for a while. Slowly walking into the room, he clasped his hands together behind his back.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked, knowing quite well he had.

"Oh, sir, we were just—"

"—arguing so loudly that the entire precinct could hear you," Joe interrupted. He cleared his throat. "You know I don't allow personal business to get in the way of work here," he added before turning to his daughter. "That's what the two of you agreed upon when I said that you could continue to come by, am I right?"

"Yeah after you told me that I couldn't apply for the police academy," Iris replied.

Barry sucked in a short breath. She was clearly still stung by the whole thing and Barry heard about it every now and then when she was struggling with one of her papers or exams at Central City University. When she wasn't in the middle of potentially tearing up her pages she was wondering what her life would've been like if she had gone behind her father's wishes and continued on with the work it took to become a police officer herself.

"Yes, well, we're not talking about that right now, baby," Joe said, his voice softening. He walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the side of the head. "I have to speak with Barry about a case, so if you don't mind…"

Iris sighed. "You'd think having my father as a Detective I'd get _some _perks," she said. "I mean, even my blog needs sprucing up a bit along with the news I have about the Streak. I've still got witnesses and sightings, but nothing more. But there is a rumor that there's something or someone working with him now. The attack on the school…there were many reports that there was someone with him."

Expertly avoiding Joe's glance, Barry crossed his arms. "I'm sure they were just seeing things. I mean, if the Streak is as good as they say, he could do as much as two people right?"

"I don't know," Iris trailed off.

"Baby, please, I have police business that I need to talk to Barry about," Joe insisted. Iris pouted and turned on her heel, walking out of the room. She may have been willing to drop that conversation, but Barry knew he was going to get an earful the next time she saw him. Turning back to the Joe, the speedster prepared for the next question. "The one that was with you…that was Cadence Nash right?"

"Right," Barry agreed.

"Is she joining you guys?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "Cisco and Dr. Wells seem ready to have her join us. Caitlin is really interested to see the extent of her abilities and everything because she's had them since she was young. And…she's a nice person but…I can't help but think there's something off about her. Something she's hiding."

Joe gave him a look. "Just like you're hiding being The Flash, as you call yourself, from Iris?"

His mouth dropped open slightly before Barry closed it and gave a short nod. Joe was right. He had no right to constantly think there was something going on with her when she probably had to hide as much of herself from others as he had to do.

"But speaking of Cadence, I've got a hit on where her brother could be," Joe said to him. He pulled a file folder form behind his back and handed it over to Barry. "We've gotten Michael Bloom to talk and while he won't tell us whom he's working for he has agreed to give us an idea of where the boy is."

"Really? Why would he do that?"

"Because in return we're going to let him go," Joe replied. "We can't trace him back to any crimes and as far as we're concerned he wasn't the one that had done the kidnapping."

"But he's an accessory!"

"That's where CCPD. We're going to need the Flash to find out where he is and get him back safely. We'll take care of the rest." He turned to leave and then came back and looked hard at Barry, poking him in the chest. "And don't do anything stupid."

Barry smirked. "Do you _really _think I'd do something like that?"

* * *

><p>Cadence went to the door of her tiny one bedroom apartment to make sure it was closed and locked before walking back into the living room. Stopping at the threshold, she crossed her arms, regarding the blue eyed, blonde haired man that sat on the couch across from her, arms draped leisurely over the back of the couch.<p>

"Did you come to check up on me?" She smirked, dark eyes flashing.

The man smiled an evil smile. "You know Breathtaker wants to be sure that everything is going the way it's planned."

"Lucas—"Cadence started but was cut off as the man leaned forward, menace suddenly as mask over his face.

"We can't have this plan get screwed up," he growled. "We know he's still out there and the quicker we find him, the quicker things will go our way. You had your last assignment and the woman is in a coma. She's not _dead_!"

"I know that," Cadence replied, voice cracking. "But…I saw the pictures around…the little boy, I couldn't—"

"It doesn't matter. None of them matter." Lucas clasped his hands together. "You found The Streak? You know where he is?" Cadence nodded. "Good. Keep doing what you're doing. Lull him into a false sense of security. You'll know when it's the right time to get rid of him." He stood up and went over to Cadence, sneering at her, putting his face close to hers. "Don't mess this up! Got it?"

"Have I ever messed up before?" Defiantly she looked back at him with the same amount of aggression.

He smirked. "No."

"And I plan on keeping it that way."

Lucas's smirked widened and he nodded. Waving his arms a gust of wind blew from behind him, and towards the door, opening the locks with a single snap. He stepped around Cadence and walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind him with a quick jerk of his arm.

After locking the door once more, Cadence walked over to the desk that was tucked into the corner of the room and pulled out a drawer. Taped to the underside was a manila folder that she ripped out and placed on the desktop. Fingers twitching in anticipation she reached out and opened the folder, glancing at the reports from the night of the particle accelerator explosion.

The answers to the mystery were there somewhere; she just had to figure out where it was hiding.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Is the pacing OK? Too slow? Just fine? Things pick up in the next chapter and more things are going to be revealed. I'm surprised no one's guessed what's up with Wells yet. ;) And is she really working to get rid of Barry? We'll see. Tell me what you think, constructive criticism is welcome!

Cheers,

~Riles


	6. Understanding

**.:6:.**

* * *

><p>Cadence had been running by herself around Central City at a leisurely pace. With a quick shift of her body weight she could go to her top speed, up to at least 300 mph, but she hadn't felt the need to do it that day. She was finally calm, relaxed and didn't want anything to get in the way of it. What was the rush? She didn't have anything that she had to do that day, no attacks she had to go out and due, it was a day off from the hospital, she finally had some time to herself.<p>

There were times where she didn't want to go as fast as she could, rather being able to take in the sights and the smells and the sounds that she could get from the early morning run. But this time, she had to keep herself from going into an all out spring that would have her back in Metropolis faster than she could blink. And after all of what had happened back there, she didn't want to subconsciously end up there again, or Smallville for that matter.

Things had really started to die down in Smallville; she hadn't been back there in a while. Maybe she could go visit and see how things were doing over there. _That's a great idea, Cade, if you want to get noticed as soon as you come into the vicinity of the city, _she thought. _It was bad enough having to know everyone was talking about you back in Metropolis; they're probably doing it in Smallville, too. _Cadence continued to run down the trail in the woods on the outskirts of the city, trying to concentrate on her breathing, but with each step she found herself getting angrier and angrier.

It was her own fault that her life had turned out the way it had. She was happy in a lot of areas about it, but for some reason she couldn't seem to stop making mistakes. As she continued to run, increasing her speed, she could feel the air around her immediately starting to warm around her.

"Whoa!"

Cadence immediately stopped and turned around, watching as Barry frantically swing at the tree she had just passed with his shirt. He swatted at the bark until the tiny flames went out, small streams of black smoke twisting up towards the sky. Placing her hands on her hips, she watched as Barry coughed for a second, and then gave the tree one last swat before walking over to her.

"You can heat up the air, too?" He asked her.

Cadence tilted her head to the side, her hair moving out of her face. "Only when I'm in a bad mood," she admitted after a slight hesitation. "Usually I have such a good handle on it but—"

"But your powers are intensified by your anger," Barry interrupted. Cadence nodded. "Yeah, I noticed it the last time we were fighting. Cisco was pretty upset that you burned a hole through his suit. He didn't think it was possible." Chuckling, he walked over towards her, stuffing his singed shirt down the back of his shorts.

Cadence's eyes lowered to his stomach then she smirked, her eyes rising once more to meet his. She crossed her arms over her chest, eyes sparkling with mischief. "With abs like that, I'm surprised you don't have a girlfriend, Barry," she remarked. "Then again, you do have a tendency to put your foot in your mouth when you're not doing the whole, superhero thing." She waved a hand then noticed that he had turned away, a small smile on his face. "Did I embarrass you?" She asked before laughing quietly. "I figured with all of the praise 'The Streak' gets you'd be used to it by now."

Barry shrugged, turning back towards her. "It's kind of hard to get used to the praise when you're too worried about what your powers are going to do next." He fell into step beside her and the two started to walk along the trail. "Will my metabolism suddenly spike so much that I can't get any energy from the food I eat and starve to death? Will I move so quickly I'll actually set myself on fire and not be able to put it out? Will I rapidly age?"

"That wouldn't be so bad would it?" Cadence broke in teasingly. "With that Baby Face, I think you'd be able to lie about your age for a long time. No one would be the wiser."

Barry laughed, tilting his head back as he looked towards the sky. "Some guys at work call me that," he said to her. "It didn't really bother me at first, because it seemed like they were trying to get used to me. But…I don't know, I think they use it as a way to feel that they don't think I belong there." His eyebrows rose for a minute. "Sometimes, I don't think I belong there, either."

"Because of your powers?" She guessed. Barry nodded. "I know the feeling." She paused, taking a deep breath. "Growing up, when I was still trying to understand what was going on with my powers…I was about eight years old. And then you really want to do nothing but fit in with everyone. I had friends, I wasn't bullied, I got along with a lot of people. But then after my powers started to show, my parents told me that I couldn't let anyone know about it. But it was really cool, being able to play with fireballs, not able to get hurt as easily, what kid _wouldn't _want to brag about it a little. So I showed it off to my friends. They started calling me a freak, saying I was weird, and I shut myself down from that for a long time and just tried to develop my powers on my own, in secret.

"It was pretty hard, hiding it I mean. I can be a bit of a klutz and I got bruises and cuts like no one's business because I was always tripping or walking into something. Being able to heal that quickly was just amazing. I could play football with the guys and not worry about getting hurt, I could play soccer as hard as I wanted, I could really do anything. I had school records for my track team because I could run so fast; a lot of it was just so great. But then…there was always the worry. Would I be taken from my parents? Would I be turned over to the police? Ridiculed? Outcasted?

"I had even thought there was a chance that I'd be taken away and probed by scientists or something. So I basically outcasted myself; studied, got good grades, kept to myself in school. Everything that I could do to make sure no one around me would find out that I was just…different. And I was always treated differently, like people were waiting for me to do something. And even when I did get my friends back around high school, at a time, where you want nothing more than to have friends, I quickly realized I was still too different. They would question why things would get so warm whenever they were around me, how I could get work done so quickly, how I would heal after a knock or a bruise so easily, things I couldn't answer.

"And even as it got better as time went on, I was still highly aware that I was different and it was just this thing hanging over me that wasn't going to go away. Things were fine for a while and then I heard about the particle accelerator explosion. Really, who wouldn't hear about that? Then I heard about you being in a nine month coma, and then heard that you were moved to S.T.A.R. Labs to get some more treatment, which was originally strange because it was the place that had caused the explosion, so why would they bring it back? Then nine months later the news broke that the man that was in the nine-month coma woke up and shortly afterwards there was a red streak fighting fires and saving people. It was a guess that you had some sort of powers like I did, as Dr. Wells had mentioned I've known him for a while as we'd stayed in contact, because of his studies. He's an old family friend from what my parents have told me. So…I came to find you."

Cadence shrugged and looked over at Barry, who had listened quietly to her whole story. Suddenly, she realized the mistake she may have just made. This was a guy that knew absolutely nothing about her and she had gone and spilled everything about herself and her back story to him without a second thought. Why was that? What was so different about him that caused her to suddenly blurt out everything like that? Maybe because he was just so reliable, he was obviously a very friendly person, liked to put his best in everything he ever did, and was someone that was trying hard to get through life while still reeling from his mother's death as well as adjusting to life as a metahuman in general.

And he managed to do it all with a smile on his face.

"I know exactly how you feel," he said to her, taking a deep breath. He let it out in a long sigh; reaching up to scratched the back of his neck. "I can't even tell my best friend that I'm a metahuman, that I can do what I do. I have to sit back and act like everything is normal when in the time that she can turn her back to grab a book off the shelf, I can get all the way to New York and back with a cronut."

Cadence smiled.

"And it's starting to take its toll," Barry admitted. "She keeps asking about what's going on, knowing I'm hiding something. And even then, she's started this blog that talks about the streak, about _me _and doesn't seem to understand that she's putting herself in danger because of the connection to the streak." He placed a hand on his chest. "The connection to me and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to her because of me."

Cadence nodded in agreement. That was it, she realized. That was why she had trusted Barry so quickly with all of the things she had gone through, because he understood her and what she was constantly living with. In some ways, they were two peas in a pod, forced into that pod under circumstances they didn't have a choice in. Unlike those that were constantly ravaging Central City to get revenge on those that had slighted them, to use the powers to rob banks and do whatever it was that they wanted because they _could, _she and Barry still had the sense of right from wrong.

_For the most part, _Cadence thought. Though she didn't particularly think what she was doing was wrong. Glancing over towards the speedy metahuman once more, she could see that despite what he had just said, there was still a smile on his face, and that stunned her more than anything. He had just explained everything he was so worried about, how he had gotten into a fight with his best friend over his double-life, and he could still smile.

"But I'd be glad to know that I can help her when she needs it. If I can help as many people as I can…then it'd all be worth it."

"You've got a great head on your shoulders, Barry. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She gave him a smile and turned back towards the path, just in time to walk into a tree. A startled cry escaped her lip as Barry burst out into hysterical laughter. Taking a few steps back, the fire metahuman cupped her nose, feeling the cuts and tiny scratches on her face. She didn't think she had broken her nose, but she had _definitely _moved into it hard enough so that it was probably going to bruise in a matter of hours. "Geez, dude, you're faster than I am and you can't warn me when I'm about to walk into a tree."

Barry, who had his hands clutched against his stomach, tried to sober from his laughter. But watching as Cadence continued to rub her nose made him laugh harder. "I'm sorry," he finally managed to gasp out. "It's….it's just so funny." Cadence glared at him and he quickly slowed his laughter. "I mean, if you think that pain is funny. But it must mean something if on America's Funniest Home videos there's an uncanny amount of videos of people hurting themselves. Even in the three finalists there's bound to be one video that's about someone falling off a roof or getting hit by something. I assume we're all masochists in a way." As he continued to speak, his excitement showing through his words, he continued to speak at warp speed, his words jumbling together the longer her spoke until it sounded like a low humming sound. But he could hear every word he said as clear as day, though he was aware that his mouth was moving at rapid speed.

Watching him with wide eyes, Cadence lowered her hands from her nose and Barry could see the small cuts and scratches slowly heal themselves until it appeared she hadn't injured herself at all. "Wow, you really _are _smart."

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Don't apologize. It's nice to see when people are passionate about things."

"No, I mean about the motor mouth thing," he said. "I tend to get really excited and give a lot of information—"he paused. "You understood me?" He asked her.

"Yeah…" she said slowly. "I mean, I'm not so smart that I could get every connection and sometimes really big words confuse me but—"

"No, I mean, I was talking really, _really _fast. You could understand me?"

"Yeah."

Barry slowly started to smile, something that was actually starting to get on Cadence's nerves. Did the guy ever go one day without smiling? But she never got a chance to think about that more, as Barry looked like he was a little kid on a massive sugar high. He couldn't sit still, itching to get to S. . Labs. He reached out and grabbed onto her shoulders. "Cade, we need to get to S.T.A.R. Labs; the guys are going to want to hear about this." He flashed her a challenging smile, letting go of her shoulders and starting to back away from her. "Race ya. I'll even give you a head start."

He barely got the last word out of his mouth before Cadence took off at top-speed, racing towards S. . Labs as quickly as she could. Barry came up behind her in a few seconds and was at her side, keeping pace with her.

Now he smirked.

"You're going to have to do better than that!" He called over to her.

Cadence matched his smirk with one of her own. "Just watch me!" She called back. The two started to run even faster, the air crackling with electricity—from Barry—and heat—from Cadence—as they went along. The two raced to the end of the trail and continued towards S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry zipped back and forth across the trail whenever something would come in his way and Cadence would leap over; bounced off of, use fallen logs or trees as leverage to propel herself forward as they went. When they reached the city, Cadence continued to move in what was as linear of a line as she could while Barry zipped off down a side street and disappeared from her view.

She wasn't surprised that when she arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs, bursting through the front doors that caused Caitlin to let out a huff as her hair blew out of her face and a stack of papers she had been carrying blew to the ground, to find Barry already sitting on a desk top, leisurely kicking his legs back and forth.

"What took you so long?" The smug smile on his face made Cadence want to drop-kick him.

"You cheated," She accused him, laughing lightly. "You have longer legs; you've been in this city longer than I have, and I'm sure that with your narrow head you're more aerodynamic." She bent down beside Caitlin and started to help her clean up the papers that had been strewn about.

Barry pouted as Cisco laughed loudly. He turned to the technician. "Is my head narrow?"

"It _is _kinda small," he admitted, shrugging before sticking a blow pop into his mouth. "But that doesn't matter. It's a good thing that you guys are here. I was just going over your suits from the last fight that you guys had and I've found that the material can easily withstand the heat from the electricity and the electromagnetic field that was put up." He held up a finger. "However, I don't understand how it hadn't caused the electric properties of your headset out of commission but the guy was probably not very good at controlling his powers so we should just chalk that up to a win for the good guys." He grinned around his blow pop, giving a double thumbs up.

"Oh and I've found some very interesting things from Cadence's blood," Caitlin added, having finally picked up every fallen sheet of paper. She flashed Cadence a small smile of thanks before reaching into her desk drawer and pulling out a penlight. Pulling open Cadence's eyes she shined the light inside, watching the iris contract, before going over to Barry and doing the same. "It shows that she had great healing properties, not just for herself but for other people."

"Yeah," Cadence agreed. "It's why I'm working to become a pediatrician. I just want to help in any way that I can."

"Right," Caitlin said. She backed away from Barry as he squirmed n her grasp, tired of the light being shown in his eyes. "And after more research I started to think that maybe Barry can do the same thing, but hasn't been able to reach that sort of potential yet. So I looked at your guys' blood under the microscope and even then I've found so much more stuff. Barry does have the capability of being able to heal other people if there was a chance he could do so. But within your blood, Cadence, is similar instances of the things that have shown up in Barry's blood from the particle accelerator explosion!"

"Wait." Barry jumped down from the desk, crossing his arms over his chest. He seemed to have noticed that he was still shirtless for he quickly grabbed the t-shirt that was tucked into his shorts and pulled it over his heat.

Cisco's eyes widened at eth scorch marks and soot on the front. "What'd you do? Sneeze on him?"

Rolling her eyes, Cadence turned to the youngest member of S.T.A.R. Labs. "No! I can't breathe fire from my nose. That'd be, like, having dragon breath or something." Her eyes lit up as she pointed over towards him. "But I can kinda do that. If I breathe in a certain way, I can heat up food and even set candles on fire."

"That's _so _awesome! We have to test it out!"

"You have any candles?"

"Guys! Focus!" Barry said to them.

Cisco and Cadence nodded, shoulders slumping as if they had been reprimanded by their parents. "Sorry," they apologized in unison.

"So you're saying that whatever sort of energy was in the particle accelerator, that turned me into a metahuman is the same thing that's in Cadence's blood?" Barry asked Caitlin, to be sure. When the bioengineer nodded her confirmation, he ran a hand through his hair. "How is that even possible?" He whispered.

"That, Mr. Allen, is what we need to find out," Harrison announced his presence, wheeling into the room. He studied the young adults that stood in front of him and came to a stop at the edge of the circle. Shifting in his seat, he cleared his throat, bringing a hand up to his mouth. Everyone waited to hear what he had to say but the seconds continued to stretch on. His eyebrows twitched together almost in an expression of irritation, before he calmed and removed his hand from his face. "It is very…noteworthy that this has come across in your findings Dr. Snow and I commend you for that," he said. "However, it seems to open up a lot of questions and scenarios we've never thought about before, does it not?"

"Like what?" Cisco spoke up. "That Barry and Cadence may be related due to their superhuman powers?"

Caitlin chuckled towards her friend and co-worker. "That's highly unlikely, Cisco. Despite instances in their blood being similar there is no DNA match between them."

"Thank God," Barry said. He looked over at Cadence when he noticed her look. "Not that I wouldn't want to be related to you, that'd be kinda cool to have you as a sister. But I don't think of you as a sister. Not necessarily in that way." A pained expression came to his face. "Not that I don't think about you in _any _way but…" he trailed off. "Wow, I'm just digging myself a deeper grave here, aren't I?"

"Just a little," Cadence pointed out.

"The point I'm trying to make here is that there are a lot of different scientific mysteries that we're going to face and hopefully make headway with," Harrison continued. "Hopefully through the means of Mr. Allen as his powers continue to develop and he finds new things he can do."

"About that." Barry stuck a finger into the air. "I can talk, like, really fast. Fast enough that, like, my words become super jumbled. "He waved his hands by his face. "Kind of like how I can vibrate my vocal chords to distort my voice, I can do that when I'm speaking."

"Really?" Cisco's eyes widened. He practically started to jump up and down like a giddy school girl. "This is just getting better and better. I bet you would so own it at a rap contest."

Caitlin reached into her drawer once more, this time taking out a tape recorder. She pressed the record button on the side. "Test number thirty-five, speech speed." She then walked over to Barry and held the tape recorder out towards him. "OK, Barry, as quickly as you can, please recite the numbers of pi as far as you can."

Laughing nervously, Barry ran a hand through his hair once more. "What? You think I actually know that by heart?" At the resounding nods he got in response, his shoulders slumped and he nodded. "Yeah, well, I had to learn them to win a signed baseball bat form a contest." He cleared his throat, leaned closer to the tape recorder and started to slowly recite the numbers in pi until his lips were moving at a quick velocity, unintelligible sounds coming out as he continued to speak. Finally he reached the last number and waited as Caitlin stopped recording and pulled the tape recorder away, jaw dropped. "What?"

"That's amazing," she breathed. "I…couldn't understand a word you said, but that was…" Eyes lit up with excitement she picked up a clipboard and started to take notes on it. "This is amazing! There's always so much that we're figuring out with Barry. It's like Dr. Wells said,"—she gestured over towards the older man, who gave a small, satisfied smile—"there are so many different things we haven't thought of checking out and now…"

"Well then that brings me to a question," Cadence said, raising her hand into the air. She gave a wicked smile, pointing at Barry. "If you can speak so fast, vibrate your vocal chords, all around just move pretty quickly…when you're with a girl, does that mean—"

"—I don't think that's a question that we particularly need the answer to, Miss. Nash," Harrison interrupted. His voice was low, dark, eyes trained directly on her. The fire metahuman immediately dropped her smile and nodded. "There are more important things we need to deal with…such as the discovery that has been made today." He wheeled closer to her. "I'd like to work with you more," he admitted to her. "Only if you'd allow us those opportunities, but I can assure you things will be very…difficult if you don't agree." Once again, there was a change in his tone, almost undetectable.

He had it down to a science. They didn't have to know everything he was doing and everything he knew, there were some points of his life that had to be kept private and whether he felt that there were things they should know, he would tell them. At the present moment in time he just had some of his work throw a curveball his way and was mentally reeling from the frustration.

He couldn't have her leave, not yet.

"Well, I mean, I'm in Central City to—"

"And have a lead on that," Barry jumped in, turning to face her. He gave her a warm smile. "In fact, that's why I came to find you today. Joe…Detective West told me that Michael Bloom, he's going to talk, he's going to say what happened and where we can find him and once that meeting is set up…we'll find him. I promise."

Cadence's lower jaw moved to the side. Her eyebrows twitched and she did her best not to let her own frustration show on her face. On one hand, it was all she had wanted and would make her life so much easier, where she didn't have to constantly worry about it or what Lucas and Breathtaker was doing to him. But on the other hand…it put her in debt towards them and she couldn't do that, not when she had her most recent assignment. _Oh, God. _

"We want you to join the team, officially." Cisco's voice broke her out of her thoughts. He watched as Cadence's eyebrows moved upwards in surprise. "What you can do… instead of using your powers to do whatever it is you wanted, you've been using it for good."

"And you've been a great deal of help towards us and Barry in the terms of finding out how metahumans work and what they can do," Caitlin added. "Our progress with understanding metahumans and trying to figure out who could be the net one has jumped immensely. Besides,"—she placed a hand beside her mouth as if it would block the others from hearing her—"There could be some other girls around her. Don't get me wrong, but all of the testosterone around here can be draining sometimes."

Cisco and Barry laughed.

Harrison lowered his voice so that only she could hear him. "What other alternatives do you have?" He reminded her gently. She detected the tone to his voice this time, hinting that he knew something about her she didn't want known. "You've said that you left Metropolis and came out here to meet Barry, but that you left your parents' house as well as your friends behind because of the secret that you kept, because of the powers you've been able to exhibit since you were a child. We could use your help here, see how your powers had developed over the time and see how you can help Barry with the development of his."

Flicking her hair out of her face, Cadence felt herself starting to lose her resolve. Her voice was quiet, sincere as she spoke next. "What do I get in return?"

"Friends," Barry replied.

He went over to Cadence and put a hand on her shoulder. He looked down at her with genuine friendship that only Barry Allen could give to anyone that came his way. Despite not having very many fiends throughout his life as well as having moments where he could be awkward around new people, he had found fiends through Cisco and Caitlin because of what they did at S.T.A.R. Labs.

But he still felt alone in some ways because they didn't understand what it was he was going through. They didn't know what it was like to have powers that were constantly taking over his normal life, how he had to keep such a big secret from his best friend who was also his family, how he had to make sure no one saw his quick movements or noticed that he could move from the spot he was standing in to the other side of the city and back in a flash. How…alienated he felt even when he was able to show that he was normal.

And now there was someone else that did understand, someone that had fought alongside him a couple of times, someone he had been able to help out. Someone he could talk to who understood the pitfalls as well as the peaks of having the sort of powers they had. He had felt nothing but elation when he had started to speak so quickly than his words moved at warp speed and she could completely understand him, having been able to do the same.

"Someone to confide in," he continued. "People to lean on, to trust, to feel they have your best at heart. You have a home here at S.T.A.R. Labs if you want it."

Cadence let out a slow breath, lowering her gaze. There was a part of her that she wasn't telling them, the part of her that had been alive and working for about as long as she could remember.

Having moved out on her own at eighteen years old she had to find some way to make some money and that's where Lucas came in. She had continued to work with him and the man that she only knew as the Breathtaker for those six years and it brought them even more money she could have ever anticipated. _Now you have your next assignment, how are they going to feel when you do what you're supposed to do? _She immediately pushed the thought away.

That's what, as Lucas had told her, would cause her to mess things up, just like she had on the last target. There couldn't be any feelings, any emotions or else she'd get too attached.

Besides, this was the best way to wait and strike at the right time.

She turned back to Harrison, Cisco, Caitlin, and Barry as they waited for her answer.

"I think that you'd really thrive here at S.T.A.R. Labs," he said to her. "You don't have to hide…to make bad choices anymore."

Cadence nodded. "Thanks," she finally said. "I'd like that."


	7. Revelations

**.:7:.**

* * *

><p>"Barry, I need to see you now."<p>

Barry blinked in surprise when Joe—who had just walked by him with Eddie at his side—waved him over, not breaking his stride. Clutching his morning coffee tighter in his hand, Barry glanced over his shoulder before scurrying after them.

"Uh, did I already do something?" He asked. "Because I _just_ got here." He glanced at his watch. "On time for once."

Joe shot him a look then his eyes traveled down to the coffee that rested in Barry's hand. The speedy metahuman slowly moved it behind his back as he fell in-step behind his pseudo-father. "I can see that," Joe said. His right eyebrow rose. "And I see that you didn't bother to get a cup of coffee for me."

Barry mimicked a fish for a few moments before he finally found his voice. "I was just talking to Iris…trying to apologize for our fight," he explained. "I'm sorry, I didn't think to—"

"Barry, I was kidding," Joe reassured him. He glanced at Eddie, who was still striding at a good pace ahead of them. "And I know things are still hard between you and Iris. Not only are you trying to keep her safe but that girl is as stubborn as a damn mule. How do you think she managed to break me down and finally buy her that Easy Bake Oven?"

"Those cakes were pretty sweet," Barry agreed. "It's still hard to believe that one tiny light bulb can make things so small." He held up his hand and held his fingers a few inches apart. "And not only that, but considering how dangerous the melting plastic could've been the fact it managed to sell so many units despite complaints about burns and…" he trailed off, noticing the funny looks Joe and Eddie were sending his way. He slowed to a stop. "What?"

"I just didn't know you were so into Easy Bake Ovens, Barry," Eddie said with an amused smile. He reached over and patted the twenty-five year old on the arm. "Tell you what, next time we have a Police Gala, we'll have you set up on desserts, huh?"

Barry twisted his mouth to the side, frowning as Joe chuckled to himself, trying to hide it from his foster son. "I was totally kidding," he said unconvincingly. "I mean action figures were where it was at, right?" Joe laughed even harder, causing Barry's frown to increase. "Yeah…so…what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Eddie waved an arm and led the three into an empty room. Barry brought his cup of coffee up to his lips and took a long swig, feeling it immediately wake up his senses in a quick zap—thank god for increased metabolism—and waited as Joe closed the door behind the three men and dropped a file onto the empty desk. He leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We've finally got the go ahead to talk to Michael Bloom," Joe explained. "As we have said before, we're going to let him go afterwards as, for the moment, we don't have anything that we can pin against him other than potential kidnapping and even then, we don't particularly know what his role in the case is."

Barry looked back and forth between Joe and Eddie. He wasn't sure exactly why they were looking at him like that, but he suddenly felt like a bug under a microscope. He looked over at Eddie, who gaze back at him, almost looking through him. Barry wasn't really sure what to make of Eddie. His jealousy of his relationship with Iris aside, he wasn't a bad guy. He had a good sense of humor, from what Barry had seen at times, though he wasn't sure how _he _felt about Barry's relationship with Iris. Things were always sort of awkward between the two of them. In fact, he was pretty sure that Eddie was purposefully making fun of him in sort of a way to establish his dominance. Not that he knew for sure, he had bullies picking on him for so long he didn't stop to question it much anymore.

"What…does that have to do with me?"

"We think that there's a better chance of you or your friend Cadence, to get a confession out of him," Joe continued. "There's hardly a chance he'll talk to the police about everything he's done, especially if he does have recent arrests. If we put a wire or a hidden microphone on one of you, we think we can nab him as well as those he may be working with."

Barry shrugged. "OK, yeah, it's no problem."

"But we need to find Cadence as well," Eddie broke in, eyes boring straight into Barry. Barry's eyebrows furrowed together as he looked back at Officer Pretty-Boy. He tried not to smirk, thinking of the name that had been given to the young Detective. Not only was he annoyed with the name, especially considering Iris was the one that had brought it up the first time while she was secretly dating him, but now Barry used it—mentally—in a way to subtly break down the guy. It was still frustrating to know there was really nothing the disliked about the guy when he was trying so hard to find it.

But he was a good detective, as it had been shown to him, time and time again.

"So if you could get her to meet up with us, that'd be great as well."

"No problem." Barry took a step back. "In fact, I'll go find her now, unless I have something else I need to do…?" He looked back and forth between Joe and Eddie, frowning when he noticed them exchange a glance. "What? What is it?"

"It's nothing, Barry, don't worry," Joe dismissed after a moment of silence. He scratched the back of his head. "Just…just go find your friend and please meet us at the hospital."

Barry's eyes narrowed yet he still turned on his heel and swiftly walked out of CCPD headquarters. There was something they weren't telling him and he couldn't exactly figure out what it was. Something that Eddie was in on. So it couldn't be his father that much was a relief. How much more could his father, Henry Allen, go through? He already lost his wife, lost his son, and lost the rest of his life to jail where he would rot. And what would happen if he did manage to get out? Who would believe that there was a man in yellow that had killed his mother as opposed to the man that had already been called out for it? He wouldn't be able to go back to work, he would constantly be known as the man that killed his wife, despite the possibility of being proven wrong.

And forever, Barry would be known as 'the son of the doctor that killed his wife' and he'd still be proud of it. He was proud to know that he was one of the few people standing up for his father and he would continue to do so, no matter what anyone had to say about it.

So if it didn't have to do with his father…what could it be?

Walking down the street a few feet, Barry steeled himself, ready to start using his abilities to get to Cadence, then stopped when it suddenly hit him. Literally. He stopped so quickly that he started and fell to the ground, arms out stretched in front of him. His bag swung around and struck him in the stomach, crushing against him and knocking the wind out of him as he fell. And while he laid on the pavement, trying to catch his breath, he understood what had happened.

Something happened to the woman that had been brought to the hospital after the domestic abuse at her house. Had something happened to the kid too? Barry climbed to his feet and started off down the street. He zoomed to the front of the hospital and walked inside, surprised to find Cadence conversing with a tall, blond haired man. The two appeared to be in some sort of argument, as the man was standing over her, almost menacingly leaning into her. Cadence had her hands pressed against her hips and was listening to him, though appeared just as incensed as he was, eyes narrowed into a glare. Finally, she said something that seemed to appease the guy for he smiled and backed away from her.

He walked towards the entrance of the hospital and noticed Barry. His blue eyes flickered over towards Barry's green ones and he looked him up and down before disappearing out the front doors. Cadence turned and watched him leave, her own eyes landing on Barry.

"Are you stalking me now?" She asked him. "Checking up on me? Making sure I don't send bolts of fiery electricity all over the place?" Now she crossed her arms over her chest as she walked over to him.

"I wanted to talk to you, actually." The words came out of Barry's mouth slowly as he looked over his shoulder. There was something off with that guy, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. There was just something about him…He turned back to Cadence, whose face had softened. "Was that guy…bothering you?"

"Lucas?" Her eyebrows rose. "No, we're always fighting about something. It's stupid." She waved a hand, dismissing him and the conversation. "Actually, I wanted to tell you something." She took a deep breath before breaking the news. "That woman that was brought in here…the one that had been beaten…she passed this morning."

Once again, Barry felt like the wind had been knocked out him.

"…There were some complications…she didn't come out of her coma and the doctors had to pull the plug." Cadence continued to watch Barry as he lowered his gaze to the floor. "As for the son…there's an Aunt in Ohio that he's going to be going to." She continued to watch him as his face then contorted to relief, though there was still pain that was evident as he ran a hand over his mouth. "You thinking about your Mom?"

Barry nodded silently. He couldn't imagine the way the boy was probably feeling. Barry was lucky to still have his father around; despite the fact he was in jail, he was lucky to have Joe and Iris to fall back on and to be able to keep the relatively normal life he had. But this boy had lost both of his parents; he was going to become uprooted and move to another state and have to start all over. He would be known as the kid whose parents died, he would be treated differently, maybe even as an outcast.

He clenched his hands into fists tight enough his nails made little crescents in his palms. How? Why? What did that little boy do to deserve the pain he was going to feel for the rest of his life? What had _he _done for his mother to have been killed, for his father to have been sent to jail?

It wasn't fair.

"It…I just know how hard it's going to be for him," Barry finally managed to get out, doing his best to keep his composure. "But, I guess it's better than not knowing if she'll wake up." He cleared his throat and looked down at Cadence, suddenly realizing that she was much shorter than he. He took a step back to be able to look her directly in the eyes. "I was told to come look for you, Detective West and Detective Thawne are going to be speaking to Michael Bloom today, they want us to put on some wires to see if he'll confess something while we're in there, to find Brady."

Cheek twitching, Cadence looked away from him for a moment. "In my experience, he's very careful about whomever he's talking to, I think he'll see right through it."

"We have to try, otherwise he's going to be let go because he helped with the investigation. Other than potentially knowing where your brother is, he doesn't appear to have any priors, not any that can be found."

"You're a Forensic Scientist, how would you know that?" Cadence's voice was suddenly sharp, filled with irritation. Her eyes flashed as she looked back at him. "Is it really in your jurisdiction, that you'd be allowed that information?" The air around them suddenly increased in temperature.

"Not usually," Barry admitted. "But Detective West…Joe…he's like my father. He and my best friend Iris were the ones that took me in after what happened to my Mom happened." Cadence held her expressions or irritation for a moment longer before her face softened once more. But her eyes still held suspicion.

"What do I have to do?"

"Just talk to him."

Cadence nodded.

The two waited for Joe and Eddie to arrive—with Eddie blinking at Barry in surprise and noting that he had managed to get there pretty quickly, causing Barry to give a light nervous laugh—before they headed off towards the room that Michael Bloom was in. Once arriving, Joe and Eddie fitted Cadence and Barry with tiny microphones before the four walked into the room. Michael Bloom sat in his hospital bed, arms handcuffed to the railings, smirking at the four as they went inside.

Barry's eyes immediately moved to the burn that was on his shoulder; from the looks of it, the bandages and the seepage that spilled from underneath, it was a nasty burn that must've caused him great pain every time he moved. And as the burn-victim's eyes moved over to Cadence, there was a bit of fear that flashed through them, despite the arrogant mask still holding true on the man's face.

"Michael Bloom," Joe said sternly. "We made an agreement. If you talk…we'll let you go."

"How do I know that you'll keep up your end of the deal?" Michael asked, eyes trained on Cadence. "How do I know that you're not just going to arrest me as soon as I'm discharged from this place."

"Well, we can't arrest you if you don't have any priors," Eddie pointed out. "And sure, you may have the information on the whereabouts of the kid, but that doesn't mean that you were actually involved right?" His voice dripped with sarcasm as he stood by the head of Michael's bed.

Michael glared at the Detectives before looking over at Cadence. "I'll talk to her."

"You don't have that choice," Eddie broke in. "We had a deal."

"And if you don't take this new deal, I won't talk at all," Michael reminded him. Barry exchanged a glance with Joe and immediately recognized the helplessness in the man's eyes. That was what they wanted; Michael was easily falling into their plan. Joe glanced over at Eddie and the two nodded before starting to leave the room. "I said, just the girl!"

"Unless you want police in here, ready to take out your ass, you'll have Barry stay," Joe broke in, motioning to the speedy metahuman. "I don't doubt you'd be willing to do anything to get out of here and I don't intend on putting someone innocent in danger. Unless that's what you want? To be behind bars for the rest of your life."

Michael scowled but didn't say anything more.

Barry watched as Joe and Eddie left the room, and then looked over at Cadence, who reached down into the corner of her scrubs and pulled off the microphone that had been attached to her sleeve. She crushed it in her fist, a light crackling sound emitting from the trinket as she did so. Then, tossing the tiny pieces to the floor, she walked over to Michael and pressed her hand down on his burn.

Barry winced at the scream that had come out of Michael's mouth, and then noticed the seepage that continued to run from the bandage. Moving over to the other side of the bed, Barry looked into Cadence's face and saw there was nothing there; her face was completely blank eyes dull.

When she spoke, she spoke in a low voice.

"Now, you and I both know that I could make this a lot worse or heal it within a matter of minutes," she murmured. Barry scratched at his neck, being careful to cover the microphone that was attached to his own shirt, knowing that Eddie and Joe were listening to every word they said. "So you have the option to be under the worst agonizing pain you've ever felt, or you can walk out of here a free man, with your shoulder healed."

"Cadence," Barry said. She looked over at him and she pulled her hand back, crossing her arms. He looked over at Michael and stared hard at him, the man looked back and then his eyes widened, and he knew the man had recognized him. "Yeah, I was there that night, too. You'd be dead if it weren't for me." He pointed over towards Cadence. "She would've killed you…because you took her brother from her."

"Is that what she told you?" Michael asked, snorting.

Barry ignored the question, leaning closer towards his face. He removed his hand from the microphone. There was no chance of Eddie and Joe hearing them talk about their powers, now. "Think about this…you took a child from its mother and father."

"I didn't take the kid!" Michael snapped. "That wasn't my job."

"So what was it?" Cadence demanded. "To follow me around for days, figure out my schedule, wait to see what was the best way for you to get him to get to me?" She shook he head. "I know you're working for someone else, I know this may have nothing to do with you, but you're still in it."

"And if you want to stay safe," Barry agreed. "Then you're going to cooperate. Just tell us where he is and we'll let you go. The police have nothing to charge you on." He crossed his arms. "But if you don't…then there's going to be some consequences."

"Listen, zippy—"

Barry moved as quick as lightning, grabbing the front of Michael's hospital gown. He curled his fist around the fabric and pulled him up into a sitting position until his face was directly in the older man's. Michael winced and whimpered, pain traveling from his arm through the rest of his body as quickly as Barry could move. The Flash's eyes bored into Michael's and the man glanced over at Cadence, who continued to listen quietly, then nodded.

A few seconds passed and Barry let go of Michael's hospital gown allowing him to slowly and carefully lean back into his pillows. He sucked in a couple of deep breaths, waiting for the pain to subside.

"Okay… okay…" Michael hissed. "He's…being held in the rundown apartment building…at the outskirts of the city."

"That building is notorious for drug dealers and crack heads," Barry said.

"We thought no one would look there," Michael continued. "Especially not the police, not for that reason. There was going to be a ransom, however things have fallen apart once people started to back out, once they realized what could happen…" his eyes shifted to the burn on his shoulder. "I don't know who planned the whole thing; I don't know anything other than my part, to lure you to Central City."

Barry glanced at Cadence, who hadn't reacted otherwise. _She said she wanted to meet me, _he thought, checking it off as another thing that was a bit off about her. _Then again, if it were me I don't know how much I'd like to tell someone I just met. _

"That's all I know, I _swear!_" Michael continued.

Barry looked deep into Michael's eyes. He prided himself on being someone that could really read people and in this case, the guy was telling the truth, it was all he knew. He nodded and motioned for Cadence to leave the room. She grabbed onto his arm, stopping him in the doorway.

Turning, Barry watched as Cadence's eyes welled up with grateful tears.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

* * *

><p>Quietly, carefully, Cadence reached out and opened the door to her darkened apartment. She nudged it open with her foot and cradled Brady against her body as she slipped through the door, and closed and locked it behind her. She walked to the bedroom, shadows elongated by the darkness of night followed her, and gently laid him down on the bed, pulling back the covers and placing him inside.<p>

As his head hit the pillow, Brady stirred and looked up at Cadence. "Mommy?" He asked.

Cadence smiled and ran her hand down his cheek. "Yeah, sweetie?"

"Where'd you go? I was looking for you," he said sleepily. "Those guys said you weren't coming back for me."

"Don't worry about them, they're not going to hurt you again, I promise." Cadence pulled up the blankets of the bed so that they completely covered him. He snuggled into the pillow, letting out a soft sigh. "Do you want me to sleep here tonight?"

Brady nodded and Cadence crawled into the bed beside her son, gently stroking his hair until he fell asleep.

She stayed up, watching, hoping he wouldn't be taken away again.

She wouldn't let him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Dun, dun dun, bet you didn't expect that. Oh and _Pluv143000 _I know I said Cadence and Iris would meet in this chapter, but they will in the next chapter as well as more action/adventure starting then. What did you guys think?

Cheers,

-Riles


	8. Hidden Intentions

**.:8:.**

* * *

><p>Harrison sat in his wheelchair, an almost giddy smile—for him—on his face as he watched Barry and Cadence run on their treadmills. Barry moving so quickly that the air around him crackled with electricity, arms and legs flying as he used his enhanced speed to race on the belt made of rubber, plastic, and metals.<p>

On another treadmill Cadence was running at a considerably slower pace, not able to get up to Barry's top speed of around 700 mph, though her powers of heat got her close. As she ran, little sparks of fire seemed to fly off her body. It had taken Cisco a few tries before he had come up with a treadmill belt that didn't melt under her feet due to the rise in her body temperature with little cooling effect from her sweat.

And as he continued to watch, Harrison's smile slowly faded. There were still ramifications they hadn't been thought of when it came to dealing with these two metahumans. Barry wasn't moving towards his full potential, not yet. He was still able to go faster, push himself harder, and while he had been doing so well as of late, there were still some things he hadn't seemed to understand were so important. He always seemed to find things as…some sort of a game, trying to see how many crimes he could stop in the span of a day.

Cadence on the other hand, was even more of a frustration for him and their research on their abilities. There were so many things that were keeping her from getting to her top abilities, like Barry, though on a grander scale. Her body temperature couldn't get too high or else there would be irreversible brain damage, much like that of having a very high fever. There was always a point where she would stop herself, afraid of going the extra mile and breaking through the barrier of her powers but would then come to a grinding halt and start all over.

And all of it infuriated Harrison. How was he to be sure that things worked he way they wanted him to, they way they were _supposed _to when there were so many things getting in the way. Barry's mind still wasn't completely operable at top speeds, and while they had recently found him able to speak a mile a minute—probably even faster than that—Harrison wasn't one hundred percent satisfied with their progress.

But now, watching as they progressed in their main abilities, speed and power, he couldn't help but smile. Everything was slowly going the way he wanted, no _needed _them to and the thought alone gave him the rare chance to smile.

Caitlin glanced over at Cisco and Harrison, a small smile on her face as well. Cisco was beaming as he watched the two metahuman race on the treadmills, every now and squealing like a little girl and bouncing on his toes. Then again, he found monster truck rallies and everything supernatural—ghosts included—to be 'cool' when they gave her a headache and scared her half to death. But then looking over at Harrison she was surprised to find that he was smiling.

Not that he didn't smile a lot, she reminded herself. But it never came up a lot, usually only for special occasions, or watching in amusement as she and Cisco got into some sort of little argument or wager in over their particular fields. Otherwise the only other times she had seen him smile a lot was before the explosion. _Then again, Caitlin, you used to smile a lot then, too. _And once again her mind was incased with thoughts and images of her and Ronnie. They had been together for a short amount of time, but had fallen in love so quickly.

He had warmed her heart, when she hadn't thought it would be possible. Growing up, she had been interested in boys, had gone to dances, and hung out with her friends as they giggled and blushed over them, but she still felt socially awkward around hem at times. She hadn't thought she was ugly by any means, but what guy wanted to go out with a girl that could explain each and every element on the Periodic Table of Elements without a second of thought? Who wanted to go out with a girl that would rather experiment with different chemicals and how it affected life sciences than go to the mall and the movies?

But Ronnie had been different; he made her laugh, had her open up more, taught her how to live life to the fullest and she had fallen for his charm. For once she didn't feel like the odd one out, he had been just as smart as she was and was still very—by her admission—attractive. Their romance had been a whirlwind, a heated affair everyone had been able to see since the day they met each other and while they tried to keep it a secret and toned down at work, soon he had proposed to her and everyone around had been happy. Especially Cisco, he was one of her best friends, like her little brother and had become best friends with Ronnie. He was to be the best man at their wedding and had even helped Caitlin come up with different themes for the wedding.

None of which she used but it was a fun night; drinking at the bar, being able to show off her ring to anyone that came by, listening to Cisco's idea to make their wedding cake half red and half blue to represent their favorite colors, and enjoying the warmth that Ronnie's body radiated as she leaned into him ever the woman in love.

And now here she was in S.T.A.R. Labs with a career that would probably never happen and…having friends. She never expected that to come out of the particle accelerator explosion that had hurt so many people and ripped so many lives apart. But she had started to grow more while working with Barry and the others and, honestly, wouldn't trade it for anything.

She glanced over the vitals of the metahumans on the screen in front of her and frowned, noticing that Cadence's vitals were starting to return to a lower number. Glancing up, she noticed the fire metahuman had pressed the stop button on her treadmill and was slowing to a stop, hands on her hips.

"Miss. Nash, may I ask why you're stopping your training?" Harrison asked, wheeling himself backwards, to meet Cadence at the door of the room that held the treadmills, separated by a glass window. "We haven't been able to get a good grasp of the extent of your abilities."

Barry slowed on his treadmill and followed after her, watching quietly.

"Trust me, that's the extent of it," she remarked, gently wiping sweat off her forehead. "Anything more than that and I'm sure I'd black out in a matter of seconds." She shrugged. "It's happened before."

Something flashed across Harrison's face and he pressed his lips together before regarding her with a cold stare. "Be that as it may, we won't be able to get you to break through that barrier if you continue to keep yourself at a plateau." He lowered his voice, almost to a menacing one that the others immediately recognized. "I'll ask you, Miss. Nash, to please not test my patience. Not only are you using my time to help you progress your abilities to a level that you can take care of yourself, but you're also using my resources."

The fire metahuman's eyebrow rose. "I've been dealing with this since I was eight, I can—"

"That's all I have to say about it," Harrison interrupted, his voice now dark and gravely. Cisco, who had been watching quietly, winced at the tone of his voice. It was the same tone the man had used when he found out about the cold gun that Cisco had created before knowing Barry was a nice guy. The tone was dark, filled with tension and unmistakable anger.

Cadence lowered her gaze to the floor, realizing that she had taken her argument a step too far. Harrison kept his eyes on her as he wheeled back his chair before turning it around and leaving the floor so that he could go to his office.

Barry made a low whistling sound under his breath. "Even I don't make the mistake of getting him angry like that," he said. "It's like…getting sent down to the principal's office."

"Sorry, Barry, but something tells me that you were _never _sent to the principal's office," Cadence said, sending him a look.

He thought for a moment. "You're right," he agreed. "I never went when it was something that was actually my fault." Patting her on the shoulder he addressed Caitlin and Cisco. "Is something bothering him? He seemed really annoyed."

Caitlin waved a hand. "He's just very invested in his work," she defended him. "He's always been like that and after everything with the particle accelerator…well, he's trying hard to get his reputation back and I guess this work is a release for him or something." She crossed her arms. "But he does have a bit of a point. We can't get a good handle on what you can do if you don't allow yourself to get pushed further and further."

"I'm sorry, weren't you the one that had warned _him,"_—Cadence gestured to Barry—"that he could defeat me because of my whole body temperature thing?"

Cisco turned to Caitlin and leaned in towards her. "She's got a point," he whispered to her.

Caitlin glared at him and Cisco shrugged, turning away. Her face softened as she turned back to Cadence. "You do have to be careful," she agreed. "But pushing that threshold back further and further will ultimately be beneficial to you."

"Yeah, and maybe one day you'll actually be able to control your powers enough, to, like, burst into flames or something," Cisco said. His eyes lit up at the thought. "Then you'll really live up to the name Flash Fire."

Cadence's right eyebrow hiked upwards as he eyes flashed dangerously. "Seriously, Cisco, if you insist on calling me that, I'm going to have to call you guys the Super Stars or something, because that's getting ridiculous."

Cisco appeared not to notice her sudden shift into an angry tone, or that the air around them had increased in temperature in favor of the nickname he had just been handed. "Super Stars?! I like that! Then we'll have cool code names too." Caitlin rolled her eyes, shaking her head as Cisco became completely enamored with the idea. "Then I can be Star Shooter or something." He reached over and picked up his cup of coffee. "And we need to come up with a name for you Caitlin…what about Imperial Ice?"

Caitlin, Cadence, and Barry all exchanged confused glances.

"Why Imperial Ice?" Barry asked, scratching the side of his head. "I would've thought of…Ice Star or something." Now Caitlin glared at Barry and he zipped to the other side of the room, far away from Caitlin's potential wrath. "Just saying."

"Oh come on, it sounds cool and you know it." Cisco brought his coffee up to his mouth and took a long sip. He made a face, forcing himself to swallow it, before holding it an arm's length away from him. "God, this stuff tastes disgusting when it's cold."

"You don't know what you're missing with iced coffee," Caitlin sing-songed. "It's the only thing that gets me through the day."

"Here." Cadence reached out and took the cup from him. She removed the lid and blew across the top, before handing the steaming cup back to him. Cisco watched the steam rise from the top of the cup and grinned, practically bouncing on his toes once more. Barry zipped back to his side, causing Cisco's hair to blow out of his face and looked at the cup as well.

"Dragon Breath." Barry grinned as he nodded.

"So. Cool." Cisco agreed.

Cadence turned towards Caitlin with an odd expression on her face. "And you have to deal with this every day?"

Caitlin closed her eyes in a pained expression, nodding. "Every day, unfortunately," she concurred. Brushing her wavy brown tresses from her face, actively ignoring the "hey's" of protest from Barry and Cisco, Caitlin picked up a stack of folders that had been resting by her arm and organized them before cradling them against her chest. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go over some of these findings with Dr. Wells. I may have found something in your guys' abilities that can really help us." She turned on her heel and started towards Harrison's office.

Her heels clacked against the ground as she went and when she arrived at Harrison's office, she was surprised to find his office door was already open. Not forgetting her manners, she reached out and knocked on the door, leaning in to find Harrison at his desk, forehead resting in the palm of his hand.

"Dr. Wells?" She gently called.

Harrison looked up, moving to close the folder he had been looking over. Caitlin glanced at it as she moved closer to his desk but he skillfully hid what was written on the cover as he opened the drawer at the top left of his desk. "Yes, Miss. Snow?"

"I have some of the results of the tests that we ran on Barry and Cadence," Caitlin said. She crossed the room and carefully lowered herself into the seat, placing the files and folders on the desk. "Their vitals are at the levels we'd like them to be, and Barry is getting faster and faster by the day. Though, in line with your concerns, Cadence seems to have hit a brick wall."

"That's where my worries lie," Harrison said. He placed his fingertips together, icy blue eyes boring into Caitlin's brown ones. "Progress isn't going to be made if she continues to stay at the area she is currently at. I believe there is something physically stopping her from getting to the point where she can exhibit her powers further."

Caitlin nodded, crossing her legs. Harrison's eyes darted downwards before coming up towards her face once more. "It's probably that she's trying to get through the thought that she has to keep it a secret," She reasoned. "Not only has she had these powers since she was a kid, but she continued to go to school and stay as normal as possible, having to hide the abilities for so long, knowing what can happen if they were taken too far."

Harrison nodded then changed the subject. "What about Barry, then?"

Caitlin took a deep breath as she thought about it. She recognized this pattern. Rather than him giving her all of the answers, he wanted her to work them out for her own. It was what the two had done when he was still her mentor, after first signing on to working with him. She had been the first person he recruited for the work on the particle accelerator, if she remembered correctly and they had continued to work closely together as time had gone on.

"I think…Barry is really excited about what he can do," she said slowly, working it out as she thought. "He's very passionate about helping people, why else would he and Cisco have started to do it when we had no ideas about what they could do or who'd be after him."

"And what about you?"

The sudden one-eighty turn caused Caitlin to blink in surprise. "Me?"

_What about me? _Caitlin studied Harrison, forcing herself to look away from his eyes as they continued to train on her. His gaze had always been so piercing, almost as if they were looking right through her. Did he mean about her thought of Ronnie? Did he know how much she thought about him or how worried she was for Barry because of the danger he constantly put himself into? What about her?

The frosty woman shrugged. "What about me?" She asked.

"How are you holding up through this whole thing?" Harrison tilted his head towards the door to his office. "Cisco takes it all in stride and it's his excitement for things like this that drew me to him, I see good things coming from him. But I haven't really gotten a good grasp of what you're thinking about it." He straightened the incline of his head. "That is, unless it's hard for you to still be here."

"I'd…rather not speak about Ronnie if that's alright."

"I wasn't speaking about Ronnie."

Caitlin lowered her gaze, crossing her legs the other way. She chewed her lower lip for a long minute. His confidence had always been something she admired about him, and the attention he paid to her, but now it threw her off a little.

Harrison licked his pink lips and leaned forward, resting his arms on the desktop. "You had such an amazing future ahead of you, Caitlin, I know that. And I know that you constantly wonder what would've happened if you hadn't decided to take my offer to work at S.T.A.R. Labs if not having gotten out of the work before the accelerator went online. In fact, I distinctly remember trying to tell you…and Ronnie,"—he took a deep breath—"to go off o your vacation sooner."

"I couldn't begin to imagine missing the start of the accelerator."

"Even if it meant not having your future taken away from you?"

"Even then." Caitlin now looked him in the eyes. She mimicked Harrison, licking her lips and taking a deep breath. "I wouldn't trade any of this either. What we're doing…what you're doing…it'll take a while for people to understand but this is all ground breaking and you shouldn't allow yourself to listen to what everyone else hast o say."

"Well, under the circumstances I think I can understand that some people aren't particularly happy when they hear my name," Harrison said. He ran a hand through his hair before leaning back in his wheelchair, resting his hands on his stomach. "But I thank you for your vote of confidence, Miss. Snow. It helps me know that what I'm doing is all worthwhile."

Caitlin smiled and nodded back at him.

She continued to sit in the chair, her gaze on him lingering a bit longer before she blinked and gazed at the files once more. "So there's everything that came from their tests if there's anything else that you need, feel free to call me."

"I'll make sure of that." There was a light lift to his tone that wasn't always heard when they were working and it caused Caitlin to smile a little wider.

Caitlin got up from her seat and left the room. She was almost back to the testing floor when the scent of acrid smoke hit her nose and she practically sprinted the rest of the way. Coming around the corner, she skidded to a stop and watched as smoke poured out of the top of the cup that had been Cisco's coffee, Barry stood beside it, rapidly fanning it with the quick movements of his hands, and Cadence was sitting on Cisco's shoulders, reaching up towards the sprinklers at the ceiling and waving a towel to keep them from going off.

The three appeared as if they had been caught in the cookie jar when the spotted Caitlin.

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

"Nothing," the three replied in unison.

Caitlin placed her hands on her hips as she watched the three, trying to keep the stern expression on her face though all she wanted to do was burst out laughing.

No, she certainly wouldn't trade any of it for anything else.

* * *

><p>"So, Cadence, don't you have to get to work soon?" Barry asked as he pulled open the door to Jitters, allowing the fire metahuman to go into the coffee shop before he followed after her. Sliding his hands into the pockets of his jacket he fell into step beside her, looking for a table to sit at. "I didn't think you could miss any days while in residency."<p>

Cadence grimaced before she replaced the expression with a calm one. "Actually…I, uh, I stopped," she admitted. Barry glanced at her, a smile frozen on his face, eyebrows lowering in confusion. "I talked to my program director this morning and opted to take some time off from it…with Brady back and with the long shifts that are unpredictable, I can't keep working there."

She tucked her hair behind her ear before looking around and finding a table to sit at. She quickly strode over to it, sure to avoid Barry's gaze, knowing he'd continue to push the topic if she did so.

And she had decided to leave residency, though it wasn't completely on her own terms. The morning after she had gotten Brady back, she was awoken by a knock on the door to her apartment. Looking down at Brady, glad to see that he was still sleeping soundly; she quietly slid out of bed and hurried over towards the front door. She had barely gotten into the foyer before a gust of wind blew the door open and Lucas strolled inside.

Cadence stopped on a dime and turned her gaze to the ceiling before looking back at him once more. "You seriously have to stop doing that," she said to him. "I don't go barging into your place."

"Be that as it may, I'm not the one that constantly needs to be watched," Lucas pointed out to her. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a wad of money. "Good job on your last hit, Breathtaker was proud." His blue eyes flashed. "Though it did take a bit for the woman to fucking croak to get the job done."

Cadence frowned then said sarcastically, "Next time I'll just make it look like she spontaneously combusted. Would that be better?" She held out her hand and Lucas stuffed the wad of bills into her palm.

Looking it over, she let out a deep breath, moving her lower jaw to the side. The image of the woman's face, turning white and filling with fear the longer she held onto her neck, watching the life move out of her eyes. She had then increased the temperature of her hands, burning the woman's neck so that her fingerprints wouldn't be left behind.

All so she would get the money that would keep herself and Brady afloat. Then when she had the chance, she'd get out of the Assassination Bureau and would be able to get away so the two of them would be able to live a relatively normal life; though going back to Metropolis was out of the question.

Cadence's eyes narrowed as she looked through the bills that were in her hand. "This is more than I was contracted to get," she said to him.

"I know," Lucas concurred. Now he placed his hands on his hips. "Part of that comes from my cut. Something extra for you and Brady."

Now Cadence let out a low chuckle before she regarded him with a glare. "You're not his father, Lucas, excuse me, Stratos. So stop acting like it." The last word was barely out of her mouth before Luca shot out his hand and grabbed her around her throat and squeezed tightly.

He brought his face close to hers, blue eyes flashing. "Don't forget that what happened to you son before…can easily happen again. Don't test me." He brought up his other hand and Cadence's eyes squeezed shut, tears streaming down her cheeks, as a strong wind blew through the apartment. "Unless you want to end up dead on the floor with the air taken from your lungs."

Cadence brought up her free hand and grabbed onto his wrist. "Or I can burn your lungs," she replied, voice hoarse as he continued to hold onto her. "That's your choice."

Staring at her a few seconds more, Lucas smirked before dropping his hand. Cadence coughed, bringing her hands up to her neck. It throbbed with pain and she was sure it was going to bruise within a matter of minutes.

He shook his blond hair from his face. "We should be getting our next assignment soon, make sure you don't have anything get in the way of it. Breathtaker was happy with your work, but he's not happy with the way you're constantly pushing it off for other responsibilities." He took another step towards her. "He wanted me to remind you…of the risks you're taking when you're not at our beck and call like you agreed to when you first joined us."

Cadence nodded. She _had _willingly agreed to help them out when they had first approached her. She had willingly agreed to everything they told her about their work and she had continued with it as the years went on; and despite the many times she had proven she was working with the Assassination Bureau and had done a great job on each of them, they still questioned her.

"Has there by any word back from the Suicide Squad?"

"Not at the moment but when we hear from that or about our next assignment, Breathtaker will have us all meet up again." Lucas had left shortly after that and Cadence had gotten on her cell phone to set up a meeting with her program director to tell him that she would be taking some time off from her residency. Lucas had been right; there were too many risks she had been taking while waiting for her next assignment for the Assassination Bureau.

Keeping an eye on Barry was a lot easier than she had anticipated; now all she had to do was wait for her next instruction.

But sitting across from Barry in Jitters, seeing the concerned expression on his face as she told him she had left the residency made her frown a little. She didn't think he would be so naïve, so friendly with everyone around him. Nevertheless it made her job that much easier.

_And he won't see it coming, _Cadence thought.

"So why doesn't he just go back to stay with our parents?" Brady pressed.

Gritting her teeth, Cadence sucked a deep breath into her mouth. "That's a whole other, long story that I don't want to get into." She waved her hand before reaching over and picking up a menu. "Trust me, it's boring."

Shrugging, Barry picked up his own menu and looked it over for a moment before his eyes shifted behind her. He smiled and waved. There was the sound of footsteps, angry footsteps behind Cadence and she looked up as an African-American woman appeared at the side of the table, holding onto a pad and a pen.

"Don't you smile at me, Barry Allen," she said. "I'm still mad at you."

Barry held his hands up defensively. "For what? I'm just sitting here."

Iris placed her hands on her hips and looked pointedly at her best friend. "For the last argument we had, I know there's something you're not telling me but you haven't even had the decency to pick up a phone and call. Me." She whacked him on the arm with her pad of paper. "Some best friend you are."

"Ow! Ow! OK, Iris, stop!" Barry tried to defend himself. "We're in public."

Cadence laughed as she watched Barry lean back out of the way as the waitress continued to hit Barry with the book. _It must suck not being able to use your powers to get away, _she thought. Barry must've had the same thought for he grimaced underneath his smile, doing his best to use his hands to block her.

Now Iris laughed as she gave him one last swat on the arm. "I don't care." She giggled, pushing her hair behind her ears. She turned to Cadence, eyes lighting up as she did so. "Though if this is the reason why you've been avoiding me, that's fine. Hi, I'm Iris West."

Cadence smirked, reaching out and taking Iris's hand, giving it a firm shake. "Hi, Iris, I'm Cadence Nash."

Iris continued to smile at the fire metahuman. "So how did you meet Barry? I wouldn't expect it to be on a crime scene."

_Wanna bet? _Cadence tried to hide her smile as she exchanged a glance with Barry. "Uh, no, actually we met at my aerobics class." She slowly started to smile, showing her teeth, as Barry narrowed his eyes at her.

"Aerobics?" Iris and Barry repeated with varying degrees of interest.

"Yeah, I had been in residency at Central City hospital," Cadence explained, keeping her eyes on Barry. He looked mildly annoyed. "But I realized it wasn't something I wanted so I started to teach aerobics classes at the local gym. You know…like Zumba and stuff. Barry here,"—she motioned towards him—"was in one of my classes. He's really good at Zumba, actually, one of the best in the class."

"Really?" Iris snapped her fingers. "So _that's _what you're not telling me! You're taking Zumba classes. _That's _why you started to get…muscular and everything." She paused and then hit Barry once more, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Was that really necessary?" He demanded, looking like a wounded puppy.

"I _love _Zumba," Iris declared. She clasped her hands together. "_And _Yoga and I'm always trying to get someone to go with me." She pouted. "Eddie doesn't like it; he says that it makes him feel like he's questioning his masculinity whenever he gets into it."

"Eddie?" Cadence repeated, she noticed the light roll of Barry's eyes when the name was mentioned.

Iris tilted he head to the side, her dark tresses falling out of her face as a sweet, serene expression filled her face. "Eddie's my boyfriend," she explained. "Actually, he's my Dad's partner. Things were kind of awkward for a while, but they're better now."

"Oh!" The fire metahuman's dark eyes lit up. "Detective Pretty Boy!" Barry burst out laughing as Iris reached out to hit him once more. This time he used a bit of his enhanced speed to lean out of the way, though she didn't notice. "Yeah, I met him once, there was a suspect they were looking into that was at the hospital. I met them then." She brushed her hair from her face, not concerned with the pointed look Barry was sending her way.

She sent a look back that said 'What? It's not like I'm spilling my guts here'.

"But hey, he's handsome, you get that," Iris said. A new look entered her eyes and she chewed her lower lip, gently twisting back and forth. "Actually, we have tickets to go to the theater this weekend, maybe you two would like to come as a double date?"

"A double date?" Barry repeated. He started to wave his hands before pointing back and forth between himself and Cadence. "No. No, no. This…uh, this isn't anything like that. I mean, I don't think of her that way, we're just friends, barely know each other really."

"Besides, he's not my type," Cadence interrupted. "I have a thing for blonds." She glanced at the menu and looked it over for a moment. "Could I get a hot chocolate please?" She pushed the menu aside as Iris whipped up her pen and scribbled down the order.

"Of course, and Barry I'll get your usual."

Barry didn't speak again until Iris was out of ear shot. He turned to Cadence with what was his version of a stink-eye. "Zumba? Really?"

"It was the best I could come up with on short notice. And besides, it looked like you needed some sort of an alibi or something since you can't tell her what's going on with your powers and everything." Cadence pressed her fingertips together. "It might be better if you do, though. My parents had no choice but to know, but when I told Brady, he took everything in stride." She sorted. "As a matter of fact, in his eyes I'm a lot cooler. But what eight year old doesn't like anything superhero related."

"Is that ever weird?" Barry asked. "That there's such a big age difference between you guys? You're…twenty-four right?"

Cadence nodded. "It's not so bad," she said. "Sometimes its stressful, otherwise it's fine." She sat up straight when Iris returned to the table with their drinks and Barry's blueberry muffin. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Iris replied. "Enjoy you guys. And it was nice meeting you Cadence."

"It was nice meeting you, too, Iris. I hope to see you in one of my Zumba classes."

"I'll definitely be there." Iris beamed and reached out, placing her hand on Barry's shoulder. "And so will, Barry." Barry smiled in agreement, waiting for her to leave once more before turning back to Cadence.

"I hate you." The bluntness of his words caused Cadence to burst out into loud laughter. She further warmed her hot chocolate between he hands before taking a long sip of the drink that would scald a normal person. "I can't dance! Why'd you have to go tell her that? Now it's going to be so embarrassing." He ran his hands over his face.

"That's alright, Barry…you'll learn fast."

She laughed again as Barry dropped his forehead to the table.

* * *

><p>Harrison finished looking over the files that Caitlin had given him and pushed them aside. He opened the drawer that held the file folder he hid away and placed it on his desk. Opening it, he pushed aside the newspaper articles until he came across a family photo of Cadence when she was about nine years old, nestled in the arms of her mother and father, all smiling widely at the camera.<p>

He studied it for a long time, taking in everything of the photo. The location; his deduction it being at some sort of a festival or parade judging by the crowd wearing red and yellow in the background, the time of day; mid-day judging by the source of the sunlight, the images in the photo; how happy the three family members looked.

Harrison brought a hand up to his mouth, covering it. Taking off his glasses, he ran his hand over his face, shoulders slumping. He lashed out; smacking his fist on top of the photo then grabbed it in his hands, crumpling it up before tearing the photo into tiny pieces that fluttered to the floor like confetti when he savagely swept them away from him.

He rested his elbows on the desk, hands clenched into fists, glaring at the space in front of him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So I saw the Flarrow crossover and loved it. I think general consensus is that people preferred the Flash one over the Arrow one, I did, but then again I watched Flash before Arrow, so I might be biased. Now that Firestorm has been shown on the show, I can get more into the plot of my story, and soon (starting with the next chapter), I'll be using the episodes _Plastique, The Flash is Born, Power Outage, and Flash vs. Arrow _but with my spin on them so I hope you guys are excited for that.

And now Iris and Cadence have met. That was really fun for me to write and I hope I managed to get her personality/characterization done well. What did you guys think of that and what'd you think about the part with Harrison at the end?

I also have a question, would you prefer Barry with Iris or Cadence? I'm asking to get a general idea, though with what I decide to do I hope not too many are disappointed.

I changed the cover photo for the story to my face claim for Cadence (yeah I used Kristen Kreuk, but it works because Lana Lang's not going to show up at all).

Thank you to everyone who favorite, alerted, and reviewed my story so far it means a lot that you guys are enjoying it while it's my first try with DC work.

Also, does anyone that reads this story know a lot about DC Comics and Flash/Arrow universe? I have some ideas I want to run by someone to make sure it'll work for my story.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	9. Midnight Meetings

**.:9:.**

* * *

><p>"So, Cadence, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"<p>

Cadence's right eyebrow hiked upwards, giving her a clearer view of the thermometer in her mouth, as she turned her head towards Caitlin. The young woman was bent over a monitor, checking the metahuman's blood pressure as she asked the question.

With her free hand, Cadence reached up and took the thermometer out of her mouth. "Are you asking me that for your health or do you really want to know?"

Caitlin's lips curled up into a small smile, not one that was really there or reached her eyes nor did Cadence think it ever would. Not for a while, anyway. It hadn't even been a year since her fiancé was killed in the place she continued to work. It was surprising that the girl hadn't had a complete mental breakdown by that point. Especially what with her worries over the speedy metahuman she had seen so far. Almost like a mother, which was a girl's natural instinct almost since birth, however Cadence was attune to know there was something else there.

"A bit of both," the bioengineering expert replied honestly. She smiled, turning back to the fire metahuman, completely taking her eyes off of the blood pressure gauge that continued to spike. "Like I had said before…I could use some more estrogen around here. Not that the guys are terrible or something, but there's only so long I can take listening to them giggle like school girls over superheroes, Lady Gaga, and whatever 'toys' Cisco can invent or get his hands on."

Cadence gave her a funny look that was a mixture between amusement and horror. She leaned back on the examining table and used a hand to swipe her hair from her face. "We're sure they're completely straight, right?"

Caitlin laughed. "Yeah, that's what they keep saying," she replied. "Though, like you, I've had my moments of doubts."

Nodding, Cadence smiled. She was silent for a moment, leaning back and resting her hands on the examining table. She lightly kicked her legs back and forth. "I was born and raised in Metropolis, I'm Twenty-Four, I'm a Virgo, my favorite color is red, and I can shoot fire out of my hands like some sort of a flamethrower or instant lighter." She leaned forward, giving a bright smile. "Is that all or do you need to fill out my dating profile some more?"

Now Caitlin laughed as she reached out and ripped the blood pressure cuff off of the fire metahuman's arm. "What would you like me to add? That your blood pressure is usually normal, but you have an abnormal skin and body temperature as well as become lethargic in increasing exposures of sunlight?"

Cadence stretched her arms over her head, a sleepy smile coming to her face as she remembered the nap she had managed to get while Caitlin had tested her reaction to increasing levels of heat. She had opened a skylight and instructed Cadence to stand under it for a few moments. It hadn't taken long for Cadence to slowly become drowsy before falling asleep. Despite the fact that Cadence could withstand heat of up to about 3000 degrees if not more—they had tested that too—it appeared that the young woman had a means to get a nap every time she wanted to go to the beach.

"Yeah, that'd be a real selling point."

"Any other interesting tidbits about you?" Caitlin joked.

"I participate in parkour," Cadence explained. "Not only is it good exercise and really fun to do, but it's translated into my fighting style as well...which I think Barry has figured out." She grimaced at the thought of her fight against the quick metahuman, he really hadn't known what hit him. Parkour, or free running as others called it, really had given her the advantage of the space around her during that fight. _Plus, he hadn't had his powers for long._

"Interesting."

Once all of the wires, electrodes, and cuffs were taken off of Cadence, Caitlin turned back to her notes and looked them over. She frowned for a moment before putting down her clipboard and addressing the fire metahuman once more.

"So we're going out for some drinks if you want to come," she offered.

Cadence froze for a moment, halting her movements as she put her shoes back on. _I can't leave Brady that long, _she thought. Not only that, but if Lucas…Stratos…whatever he had wanted to go by now, was telling the truth when he said he was constantly watching her to be sure she wouldn't do something to threaten what he, Breathtaker, and the others were doing, she didn't want to run the risk of him being there that night and having things revealed she couldn't risk being known.

"I don't know," she hesitated. "Getting drunk off my face enough to stumble home or have a cab drop me off on my front porch with a hangover so wicked it'll probably have me set my house on fire?" She shook her head. "Doesn't really sound like good times to me."

"So don't drink enough to get drunk and you'll be fine."

"I don't have anyone to watch Brady for that long."

"He's eight years old; I think he can be home by himself for a little while."

Cadence regarded Caitlin carefully, noting the almost pleading tone in her voice. "Oh, I get it." She crossed her arms, smirking at the geneticist. "You just don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of drunken guys hitting on you…not getting the point of your chilly expression to leave you alone, right?"

Slightly sticking her nose in the air, Caitlin crossed her arms. "It's not that bad," she defended herself. "But it's like we were saying here, I could due to have some discussing with some girls. I think Iris and Eddie are going, too. I don't know. Usually it's just me and Cisco, but now Barry comes along and Iris had wanted to meet up with us, I guess."

Cadence scratched the back of her head. "You've met Iris?" She asked. "What'd you think?"

Chewing her lower lip, Caitlin was silent for a long minute. "Actually, we met when Barry was in his coma. Cisco, Dr. Wells, and I had brought him from the hospital and over to S.T.A.R. Labs, having noticed that they didn't have the sort of technology to revive him. Not when they couldn't understand the particle accelerator in the first place."

"It must be hard to be back here, since Ronnie died," Cadence remarked. "Though it does prove to justify the means of why you treat Barry like your son sometimes. Trust me; I know a _lot _of experience in that area." She wasn't sure Caitlin would've responded, but waited patiently.

"It gets easier," Caitlin finally said quietly. "I just take it day by day." She cleared her throat and crossed her arms. "So are you coming out with us tonight? We'd really like you there?"

Cadence sighed through her nose, thinking about it for a long moment. _If Stratos really is going to watch me, I'd rather it be where Brady isn't involved, _she thought. Her eyes narrowed for a moment. _And it'd give me a chance to figure out some more about these guys here. _Finally, she lifted her head and smiled at Caitlin. "Sure," she finally said. "I'd like that."

"All right. Let me just get these findings to Dr. Wells and then we can head over there. I'm sure Barry and Cisco have already gotten head start. Considering how much Barry likes Iris and with Eddie being there…"

"Oh, you picked up on that too?" Cadence hadn't wanted to bring it up when she had met Iris. Barry really did wear his heart on his sleeve and as much as he probably wanted to think that no one else knew of his crush on her, it had almost hit the metahuman in the face when the African-American woman had walked over to take their order at Jitters.

"Kind of hard to miss, actually," Caitlin deadpanned. "Then again, he's constantly going to her because she keeps writing about him, but…" She shrugged. "Let me run this to Wells and then we can go."

"Sure."

Caitlin turned on her heels and headed out of the enclosed space that was used to run tests and experiments, finding Harrison sitting patiently by the viewing glass that looked inside the room. "Her vitals are normal as they are for her capabilities but there's something that I don't get," she said slowly. "She didn't appear surprised at falling asleep when having testing her body and the effects of intense heat on it. Which makes me wonder if there's more to her abilities she's not telling us?"

"Considering there's about sixteen years of her working with her abilities unaccounted for, I'm more than positive there's a lot of things she's not telling us," Harrison agreed. "It's just a matter of..._persuading_ her to do so. There is no plateau for her powers; she is definitely a lot stronger than Barry Allen is. However, we must take into consideration she's kept that secret this long, it'll probably be difficult to break it from her. The question remains that as she's in our compan _why _is she still keeping it to herself?"

His bright blue eyes narrowed for a moment. "And how we're going to get her to show us."

Caitlin nodded. She turned towards her mentor. "So, we're all going out for drinks tonight if you want to come." She watched as Harrison pulled back his wheelchair and turned so that he could leave the room.

"Sorry Dr. Snow, but I'll have to decline," he said. "I have important work to do."

Caitlin watched him leave. She went back into the examining room to find Cadence still sitting on the end of the table, passing a fireball back and forth between her hands, watching the movements of the ball intently, an orange glow across her face. She only looked up when Caitlin's heeled footsteps came her way. She then held her hand upright, where the fireball hovered before she closed her fingers into her palms, immediately engulfing the flames.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, let's go!"

It hadn't taken long for the two women to make it to the bar the group was at and as they arrived they were quickly swept into the group around the table, taking the drinks that were handed to them. Cadence glanced at the shot delicately placed in her hand, before quickly downing it. She closed her eyes, feeling the burn as it went down her throat before it cooled off once more.

"You look like you really needed that." Barry laughed.

"You have no idea," Cadence replied.

"Well, just don't get too into it," Iris warned her. "Or else you'll get arrested for public intoxication." She motioned towards Eddie who stood beside her, arm around her shoulders. The Detective laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm off duty right now," he said to the table. "So you don't have to worry about me." As if to prove his point, he picked up a beer bottle and clinked it against Iris's glass, causing the young woman to giggle, before taking a long swig. Barry rolled his eyes, bringing a shot up to his mouth and finished it.

Caitlin placed her purse down on the table and slid into a seat, crossing her legs. She addressed Cisco. "Did you get my usual?" She asked him.

Cisco nodded and handed over a glass with a dark liquid inside. He handed it over to her and she glanced at the drink before taking a long drink from it. "You're the only one I know that doesn't like anything other than a Rum and Coke." He tilted his head, passing a beer bottle back and forth in his hand. "And a very watered down one at that, considering the amount of ice you like in it."

"Hey, it's really good," Caitlin defended herself. "Don't knock it until you've tried it."

"Thanks, but I'm good with my Heineken." The two smiled and made a show of clinking their glasses together.

"OK!" Iris clapped her hands together, flashing a bright smile to the whole table. "Now that everyone's here, who's ready for a game of darts?" She pointed over towards the board that was held up on the wall nearest to them. "I promise I'll go easy on you this time."

"No way." Eddie shook his head. "You're way too competitive for your own good."

"Yeah, there's no way that you'll ever go easy on anyone," Barry agreed. "You're the one that screams at me when I accidentally break a rule when playing Monopoly. And even then, I'm surprised you haven't thrown your little racecar at me when I stack up my hotels on one side of the board."

The group laughed and Eddie turned his attention to Cadence, who had watched the group quietly, taking in their means of interacting with each other. It was obvious there was a sense of divide between the two of them, as Caitlin had mentioned before, but they all appeared to be having a good time so far. "It's good to see you here as well, seems like you're becoming a prominent figure in Central City."

"Yeah, well, I hadn't thought I would be here this long," she replied honestly. "But after having found Brady and seeing the kinds of people that are around here…"—she quickly changed the tone to her voice—"They're a lot nicer than some people in Metropolis can be."

"So you're going to stick around for a while?"

"How can I ignore the city that helped me get Brady back? Which I should thank you and Detective West for," she added. "If you hadn't continued to look into it I probably may not have found him." She shrugged. "Besides, I just got a job around here, and it wouldn't be fair to move again."

"Well, you're very welcome, Cadence," Eddie said with a warm smile. "Let's hope that you stick around for a while." He held his beer bottle out towards her and she brought out her glass, and the two toasted the air. "Cheers."

"Cheers."

To her left, Barry made a snorting sound before taking another shot and downing it. "Well, as it seems like no one else is going to challenge me, Eddie, why don't we play first?" Iris grabbed onto Eddie's arm and dragged him over to the dart board. He watched the two of them for a long while as the group around them continued to hang out with each other and as the night moved on they all started to loosen up a little bit.

When Iris finally took her break from beating Eddie at darts, she went over to Barry, who was sitting at the bar by himself, watching her. She caught this eye and smiled, walking over. "Hey. Having fun?" She asked him.

"Oh yeah," he replied. "It's so fun watching you get so worked up over a game as silly as darts." He reacted with an expression of pain as Iris whacked him on the arm. "Would you stop that?!"

"Hey, my father taught me that when playing a game you always have to try your best."

"That's probably because he, too thinks it's funny to see how worked up you get over everything." Barry shrugged. "But that's your passionate nature so I guess I don't have room to judge." He smiled and looked behind them to see that Cadence had decided to take her turn with darts, taking up Iris's space as Eddie watched. The Detective laughed as each throw the fire metahuman tried out missed the target completely. Her face turned red, eyes flashing, and she snatched the dart away from the Detective's hands as he had gone to retrieve them for her. "But it seems like you're not the only one that's competitive."

_They're not the only ones, _he thought, not particularly enjoying the way Iris managed to sigh dreamily—as she just had—whenever she spotted Eddie. This whole secret crush thing was really starting to kill him. He knew he had to say something soon but…what would happen if she didn't feel the same way? Their friendship…their 'family' relationship would be ruined and he couldn't handle the fall out. If he couldn't have her in his life, even as just as a friend, then he didn't want her at all.

The thought of losing her was an even greater driving force of his decision to keep quiet than the thought of things going well.

Iris looked over her shoulder and smiled before turning back to him. "We should start a club," she said then placed her had on his shoulder. "Actually, I'm really glad that you invited Caitlin, Cisco, and Cadence," she said.

Barry's eyes lit up. "They're cool, right?"

Iris nodded. "Very cool," she agreed. "They're just so…different, but so much like you. It's nice to see there's someone else that understands you like I do, though maybe on an even better level because even I don't get all of the scientific explanations you give me sometimes." She crossed her arms, lowering her head. There was an air of sadness that suddenly enveloped her. "And…and they saved your life, Barry. I don't know what I would've done if there wasn't anyone that could…."

"Hey, hey." Barry placed his hands on Iris's shoulders. "I'm still here aren't I? Nothing can get me down that easily." _Not anymore, anyway. _He bent his head down to look at her face, bringing his thumb up, wiping her tears away. "I'm alright, Iris, don't worry."

"I know." Iris lifted her head and braved a smile, wiping away the rest of the tears. "I just don't know what I would do without my best friend." Those two words ripped through Barry's heart but he still managed to smile, putting on a brave face like she had. "And Cisco and Caitlin…the ones that saved you…they're the coolest people I know because of that." The two turned back to the Detective and fire metahuman, who watched with a slight pout on her face when the blond man managed to get the dart to stick to the board.

"And anyone that can get _you _to dance, Barry Allen, is cool in my book," Iris said. She laughed when Barry rolled her eyes. "Cadence is cool. We were talking about yoga and stuff and she even invited me to some of her classes. So you don't have an excuse not to come with me."

Barry's smile froze on his face. "I'll have to remember to thank her."

Iris giggled, noticing Barry's discomfort and rubbed his shoulder once more. She looked over her shoulder, noticing that Cadence had given up on her turn at the game. "Oh, I guess I'm up again!" She quickly went back over to Eddie, giving him a kiss on the cheek before taking the dart from his hand.

Barry had to look away, his stomach churning with jealousy and picked up the tray of shots that had been placed in front of him. There was something else that had been bothering him that night, something he didn't think would ever happen. He had drank before, and had been drunk so he usually could recognize the buzz he would get as well as the other tell-tale signs he was closing in on inebriation.

However, as many shots as he had taken that night, he felt nothing. No buzz, no slurring of the words, nothing. And he had drank a lot and being someone that as a kid freaked out thinking he was surely going to get lyme disease after having been bitten by a tick, this was even worse.

Bringing the tray over to the table Cisco, Caitlin, and Cadence occupied Barry spoke, "Guys, I have a problem."

Cisco snorted, his eyes trained on the object of The Flash's affection and her boyfriend. If there was a prize for the 'perfect couple'—if it even existed—they were probably it. And as Iris moved to take her turn at darts, Eddie's eyes moved down to her backside, an appreciative smile sliding onto his face, before taking note that another man nearby had done the same thing. He glared menacingly at the man and the man quickly got up and went to the other side of the bar.

_Attractive and protective, those are qualities she probably doesn't see in you, _Barry couldn't help but think.

"With guys like that around, all of us have problems," Cisco remarked, knocking Barry out of his thoughts. But it was Caitlin's words that had caused the three to look at her in surprise, "Yeah," she sighed with longing. "He's so hot."

"Caitlin?!" Cisco said in surprise.

She gritted her teeth sheepishly, turning back to the group. "I mean, aesthetically he is," she quickly corrected himself. "You know how, scientifically…._genetically _speaking. Because I'm a geneticist." Her eyes widened in worry. "I'm not sounding like Felicity am I?"

Cadence's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "Who's Felicity?"

"Oh!" Cisco grinned. "Felicity Smoak. Not only is she super smart, a computer science wiz that works at Queen Consolidated, and smoking hot, but she also works with the _Arrow_!" He elbowed Barry in the side. "Barry knows the Arrow, too. _And_ he might know Felicity a little bit intimately but he won't really give us details not hat."

Now Cadence's eyebrows flew up into her hairline and she turned towards Barry with an amused smile. "Really?"

"No." He shook his head. "We're just friends."

"Like you and Iris are?"

_"Anyway_!" Barry brought the attention back to himself. He motioned to the shot glasses on the table and using his enhanced speed, he started to down all ten shots in a matter of seconds. Cisco, Cadence, and Caitlin exchanged a glance as he finished off the last shot. "Here's the problem…I can't feel anything."

Tilting his head to the side, Cisco made a 'cuckoo' sign beside his head, causing Caitlin to smile and Cadence to burst out laughing. "Uh, yeah, that's what happens when you drink a lot."

"No!" The fast metahuman shook his head. "No. I mean, I can't feel anything. I'm not drunk. Which sucks because being twenty-five years old and being the youngest of one of those at the precinct and…" he nodded over towards Iris and Eddie. "I have plenty that I need a drink over."

"You see,"—Cadence lifted a finger—"if alcohol moves through your body that quickly, it just brings me back to my thought of what would happen if you were with a girl and—"

Caitlin cut the fire metahuman off as she sat up straight. "That's it!" She cried. "Your metabolism is burning off the alcohol at rates faster than any human would." She exchanged a glance with Cisco, who immediately leapt up from his seat to get more drinks. "I _need _a blood sample!" She turned and started to root through her purse as Barry and Cadence simultaneously pushed up their sleeves and offered out their arms.

It wasn't the fact they were basically trained at that point to anticipate when samples or tests were to be had, but that Barry was surprised she had a blood taking kit in her purse and had said so. This caused Caitlin to respond with a defensive, "You have your hobbies."

"And I hope it's not darts!" Cadence broke in, suddenly irritated. Her eyes flashed dangerously as they trained on the dart in her hand, glaring at it as if it had personally offended her. "Who likes to play this game?! It's so stupid anyway; you just take this stupid little thing and throw it at a wall for what? To prove that you have good aim? If I wanted to do that, I'd take up target practice at the gun range, at least that's more fun! Let me just say if anyone ever wanted to suggest something fun for me to play it's not going to be fucking darts!"

As the last word came from her mouth the dart in her hand erupted into flames, stuck in the center of a fireball, causing Caitlin and Barry to jump.

Once the fire went out she turned her hand to the side and dumped the small pile of soot to the table-top. Barry and Caitlin exchanged surprised glances at Cadence's outburst before looking at her once more. She leaned forward, resting her arms on the table, continuing to glare down at the pile of ash. When she noticed things had gone quiet, she looked up at the two.

"What?" she snapped.

The shot glasses that sat on the table with remnants of alcohol still inside, immediately burst into flames; the fire going out as quickly as they had come.

"Woops."

At Cadence's sheepish smile, the three burst out laughing as Cisco walked over, carrying another tray of glasses. He took in the laughter of his friends and frowned. "Did I just miss something cool?"

* * *

><p>The starts twinkled just as brightly as the lights of Central City on the rooftop of the office building where three metahumans had gathered. It was an informal meeting but was to be one that would cause a lot of damage and destruction, as they hoped, but would also bring their plans even further to fruition. They just needed to wait for the arrival of one more metahuman before they could officially start.<p>

"Bette, we were hoping that you would be the one sent to help us."

Lucas tossed his lit cigarette to the ground and crushed it underneath his foot. He glanced over at the red hooded figure, whom he knew to be Breathtaker, and walked up to his side. Across from them was a young woman with long, auburn hair dressed in a black leather jacket, a purple blouse, blue jeans, and black boots. She looked back and forth between the two, her hands at her sides, fingers gently rubbing against each other.

"I'm here," she said slowly. "I thought there were five of you I would be meeting."

"At the moment there are only three of us that are in Central City," Breathtaker said in his low, quiet voice. "The other two are off doing their assignments and shall be back when I need to call them." Lucas suddenly turned his head to the side, noticing the sudden change in air currents around him.

"She's coming," he said and faced Bette once more. A second later and Cadence was standing at his left side.

"Sorry I'm late," she apologized, eyes flashing. "Traffic." She crossed her arms, nodding over at Bette. "So who's this? Is she the contact from the Suicide Squad?"

"Precisely, Cadence," Breathtaker agreed. "Bette Sans Souci." He then turned to the auburn haired woman and nodded at her as well. "This is Cadence Nash; she works with us as well." Bette looked Cadence up and down, nodding. "Now I'm sure you're wondering what it is that we need your help with though I'm also aware that you're currently under an assignment for yourself."

"Yes," Bette agreed. "I'm looking for some answers to things I've been questioning," she explained. Tilting her head to the side, she brushed her hair behind her shoulders. "Though as you know, I'm a part of the Suicide Squad as well, though now we're known as Task Force X. I'm aware that there have been talks of an alliance with the Assassination Bureau."

"Yes, and you can help us with that," Breathtaker said. "Only I had to be sure that you would be willing to help and your appearance here has shown me that." He nodded towards the city. "Please go and finish the task you had brought upon yourself and when you're ready, come see me again. I'll contact you."

"What about our assignments?" Lucas asked Breathtaker.

"Right, are we going to shift them now that Task Force X is working with us as well?" Cadence agreed.

"No, Cadence, you still have your assignment at hand. Keep digging…keep waiting and you'll have your chance to strike. For the time being, I will contact you and Stratos when it comes to another bounty. As well, Stratos, I need you by my side for something I need to have done sooner rather than later."

"Yes, Breathtaker."

"You are dismissed."

Bette, Lucas, and Cadence moved to leave the rooftop. "And Cadence?" The fire metahuman turned towards Breathtaker. His eyes glowed from underneath his hood, hands stretched out from underneath the robe, clasped tightly together. "It's good news to hear that Brady has been given back to you. I'm sure you're pleased.

Cadence watched him and as she did so, her eyes started to glow a light orangeish-red color. She gritted her teeth and turned her head away. _Don't do it again, Cadence. You can't risk it. _She let out a breath of relief when her eyes turned back to its normal color.

Pressing her lips together, she nodded at Breathtaker before turning and zooming off of the rooftop.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So being someone on tumblr I have realized that for female fans of The Flash there are usually three types of people, Barry lovers, Harrison lovers, and those that love both. Lucky for me, I love both, haha. Thanks for all of the reviews on the last chapter; I hope you find this one just as enjoyable.

Thanks for the feedback from my question in the last chapter, I have another one; would you rather this story be from mostly Cadence's POV or do it in a way that goes back and forth between hers and Barry's (ignoring the fact that most of the recent ones are about Cadence).

And I have a few more SnowWells one-shots coming up soon, sorry for the wait on those. Oh, and if you want to picture Lucas/Stratos, I'm using Paul Walker as a facelcaim.

Review Reply:

Ella Sutton: I'm glad you're enjoying the story and continue to enjoy it as I keep writing. *Sigh* The part where Cadence brought Brady back I know is confusing because I had just randomly time-jumped since I didn't have a clear idea of how he was going to get back other than he did. Let's just say that Barry raced in and got him. And for the 'dun dun dun' part it's because it was revealed that Brady is Cadence's son, not her brother as initially assumed.

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	10. Promises

**.:10:.**

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><p>Barry had still been in the bar when he heard the explosion. And for a moment he wasn't sure if he even really had heard it, he didn't think he had supersonic hearing as well as supersonic speed, but then he hard it again. Twisting around, eyebrows lowering in concern, Barry's green eyes scanned the bar to locate the source of the sound.<p>

Then he had noticed the TVs that were set up around the bar had all been switched to the news and almost all sound in the bar stopped. As the speedy metahuman watched, the replay of an explosion at a downtown office building screened across the numerous televisions. Barry was broken out of his trance and looked over at Eddie, whose cell phone had vibrated, signaling an incoming text.

His blue eyes widened as he glanced over the text from Detective West. He gaped at it for a moment before his body went rigid and the expression was removed from his face. He was a Detective now, back on duty, he couldn't allow emotions or shock and surprise to register on his face. Lowering his cell phone, he turned to Iris, who tore her eyes away from the monitor. There was an odd sparkle in her eyes, one of excitement.

Noticing it caused Eddie to do a quick double-take. Why would she be excited about the explosion? Not to say that there was some sort of sick fascination she had with bombers, she may as well have had _something_ about her that was weird due to the cases she had heard from Joe and Barry. But as her eyes locked on with his, it disappeared and was instantaneously swapped with mimicry of concern from his expression.

"There's a bombing on eighth and pass," He mumbled before placing his hands on the young woman's cheeks and giving her a kiss. His hand placed on her cheek blocked his view of Barry immediately looking away from the contact. "I'm sorry baby, but I have to go."

"That's all right," Iris said dutifully. She watched her boyfriend push his way through the crows that had started to form before turning and slinging her purse up over her shoulder. Despite the excitement that was creeping up inside her—this was the perfect chance for her to see The Flash—she did her best to provide an even more convincing expression of weariness. "I'm sorry, guys, but I have an early shift at Jitters tomorrow and I have to get going." She looked from Barry, to Cisco, to Caitlin. "But this was fun and we should definitely do it again. Tell Cadence I said 'bye'," she added before walking out of the bar at almost a sprint.

Caitlin watched her leave before leaning forward and speaking in a low, quick tone. "We don't have enough time to get back to S.T.A.R. Labs to make sure everything checks out." She paused, catching Barry's eyes. I'm not saying that Cadence was involved, because that was too quick from the time she left but…fire…" she trailed off.

Cisco shook his head. "Nah, it couldn't be her. Not only is it an _explosion _but even she couldn't have gotten there that fast if Barry can get there in an instant. I think it's something else. She's joined out team; she wouldn't have done something like this."

Caitlin started to protest, wanting to express hers and Harrison's worries with them, but Barry beat her too it. "Cisco's right," he agreed. "This can't be her. I'll go check it out." He turned and hurried out of the bar and when he was outside on the street, sped back to S. .R. Labs to change into his suit and hurried back to the site of the explosion. He came to a stop right outside the building, noticing the first on the far side of the building first then the window-washer hanging precariously above the ground second.

_He picked a bad time to be washing windows, _Barry thought. A second later he felt a rush of heat and spotted Cadence at his side, slightly out of breath. "Good to see you," he said.

"I can't let someone innocent get hurt," she replied, placing her hands on her hips. The flickering of the flames danced across the face of the goggles that kept her identity hidden from others. "What's going on?"

"Some sort of an explosion," Barry relayed the information. "And there's someone hanging up there." He pointed towards the roof.

Cadence nodded. "I can handle that." Shuffling a few steps to the side she thrust out her arms and concentrated hard. As Barry watched, the fire started to stretch the building and back to Cadence's hands.

_She's absorbing it_, he realized before bringing a hand up and pressing it to the earpiece of his suit. "Guys," he relayed to Caitlin and Cisco. "Cade has a handle on the fire, but there's a window-washer and he's gonna fall."

"Don't try and catch him," Cisco immediately warned him. He sounded a bit frustrated as he continued with, "You don't have a super strength." Barry knew exactly how the man felt.

Not only had he noticed the sort of weaknesses he had while being able to run super fast—he still couldn't, for the life of him, get anywhere on time—but his fighting skills still lacked and unlike the Arrow, he didn't have a lot of strength that would counter-balance his ability to move fast. Cisco, who was one that ingested a lot of superhero folklore and more often than not they had super strength.

It made him feel a bit inadequate in a way, and was one of his biggest insecurities other than trying to continuously get a handle on the powers he already had. And as he watched, he was hoping he would be able to utilize and succeed with the powers he was given. He licked hi lips, thinking quickly. "Yeah, but is there a bed store nearby," he suggested. "What if I get a bunch of mattresses and stack them?"

"Barry, this isn't a roadrunner cartoon," Even before Caitlin had spoken Barry knew there was going to be a bit of condescension in her tone. "Even if you could get all of those mattresses, you still might not be able to get back and forth in time, considering the velocity he'd be exuding as he hurled towards the ground."

"Barry!" He turned towards Cadence, who almost had the fire out at that point. She was looking directly at him with a piercing gaze. "Just go."

Cisco's and Caitlin's cries of "what?!" could he heard through Barry's earpiece. Barry looked back at Cadence and she continued to stare him down before he nodded back at her. He glanced up towards the building, mentally calculating the angle of the building in comparison to how quickly he'd have to move to get up towards the window-washer. Even from where he was standing he knew there wasn't much longer until the cable snapped.

"How fast would I need to go to run up the side of the building?" Barry finally asked.

There was a long moment of silence and then Cisco spoke up once more, slightly stuttering. "Uh, how far would you need to go?" He sounded as if he couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. Even Caitlin had given him an expression of intense disbelief and apprehension that Cisco hadn't seen since Ronnie had passed. The ice-queen was starting to come to life more than she had before and it was all from the work they had been doing with S.T.A.R. Labs.

"I don't know, fifty meters give or take," Barry replied.

Cadence lowered her hands, the fire finally having gone out. She hurried back to Barry's side and looked up the face of the building, chewing her lower lip. She couldn't move as quickly as Barry could, but could manage to get there if needed. However, the same predicament would come in turn; the how would they get back down? And if she were to use the extent of her abilities, which she was trying her best to hide, what would be the general consequence? The man would either be burnt badly or they would go crashing back to the ground, which she would manage to survive but he wouldn't.

Instead, she turned back to Barry and nodded at him, her silent affirmation that he knew what he had to do and despite how mysterious she could be at times, Barry agreed with her. He couldn't hesitate and had to make his decision as quickly as possible. "Hurry!"

"Just run, Barry, run!" Caitlin called.

Once he was given the go ahead, Barry lowered his hand from his ear and blasted up the side of the building. Cadence stood back and watched as the streak of lightning shot towards the falling structure and the window-washer that dangled from it. As he reached the blur, Cadence heard a creaking sound and watched as the scaffolding started to fall.

"Shit." She murmured and started to run forward, anticipating where Barry and the man were going to land. The lightning streaked back towards the ground, landing at a spot directly in front of her, the scaffolding falling rapidly towards them. Cadence reached the two and grabbed onto Barry and the man. Before Barry could ask what was going on, the three were engulfed in a rush of flames and disappeared, reappearing a few feet to the side as the scaffolding crashed to the ground where they had been.

Cadence reached out and patted the smoldering spots on the man's clothes before turning towards Barry, who looked at her in surprise. "How…?"

She held up a hand. "No time for that, let's go."

The two turned to leave but stopped short when the spotted the young woman that stood behind them. Iris gaped at the Flash in surprise, not seeming to notice Cadence standing behind her.

When Barry spotted Iris he immediately froze, heart leaping into his throat before dropping to his feet. Iris stood in front of them, mouth gently cracked open, showing off some of her teeth. Her eyes sparkled in awe as she continued to take him in. The two stared at each other for what felt like forever—Barry quickly 'flashing' his face—before a thick wall of smoke swirled in and concealed his view. He twisted around to find Cadence with her hands pointed his way, the soot following her direction.

"Wha…?" he breathed.

"Let's go!" She called.

Barry nodded and faced away from the scene with Cadence following quickly after him.

Iris coughed, waving a hand in front of her face. When the smoke cleared, she looked around, hoping to still catch a glimpse of the Flash. She was a bit disappointed to see he wasn't still there, but in the long run she understood that it was for the best.

Barry and Cadence returned their suits back to S.T.A.R. Labs before going their separate ways. Barry went back to his apartment and moved on auto-pilot as he got ready to crash in front of the TV, his thoughts returning to Iris. Had she seen him?

Well, that he knew for sure, but had she recognized him? Did she get a glimpse of his face before he flashed it? And if so, was he meant to come right out with it or wait for her to come to him. Would she be angry he had kept the secret for so long.

But the most important question of all was due to the secret of his being the Flash and not telling her, had he lost her.

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><p>The next morning, Cadence turned away from the toaster and placed the blue paper plate down on the table in front of Brady before sliding down in the unoccupied seat in front of her son. She picked up a water bottle and took a long gulp before pushing it aside to glance at the front of the newspaper.<p>

_A bomb?_ Her eyebrows furrowed as she scanned over the article, explaining the cause of the explosion._ What was the point of blowing up that office building downtown? Especially when there was no one there? _Cadence rested her chin in her hand as she looked over the news report. There were some files missing of some sort, nothing that would equate the use of a bomb. She knew it was nothing of the Assassination Bureau or Suicide Squad had orchestrated, it was too quick after they had left each other for something that Breathtaker had managed to put together.

And yet…something about it nagged her.

Brady followed her gaze and pointed at it with fingers covered in butter, having had started in on his breakfast with both hands. "Did you help stop that fire, Mom?"

"Yes, I did." Cadence smiled as she tucked the newspaper away and turned her attention back to her son. "Nothing so exciting," she added. "Just the run of the mill fire." Brady beamed at her and she smiled back before being stumped at his next questions.

"When am I going to get super cool powers like you have?" He took a large bite of his toast, smearing the jelly that had been spread on top, across his upper lip. The fire metahuman chuckled at his sense of unfairness. Despite her natural instinct to protect him at all costs, she had wondered the same thing shortly after he had been born. Lying in her hospital bed her thoughts wandered from _What would happen if he has powers? _to _What sort of powers would he have? Would they manifest around the same age? What would happen if others find out?_ Brady continued, breaking her out of her thoughts. "I mean, you were my age when you got your powers, how come I don't have any? That'd be so cool."

"What power would you want to have?"

"To fly." He said it so matter-of-fact that Cadence laughed. "I want to be able to go places without having to walk everywhere."

"Hate to break it to you, Bud, but then you'd have the chance of ingesting even more spiders and bugs than you already do in your sleep." Cadence smiled, remembering the times when he was younger, being afraid to sleep after having heard the rumor that the average person ate eight spiders in their sleep a year. However, instead of rising to her bait, Brady smirked at his mother.

"I'm not the one that's afraid of bugs, Momma, you are." He laughed, obviously pleased with himself, as the young woman shook her head, lightly rolling her eyes.

She cleared her throat before changing the subject. "Are you excited to be going back to school?"

Then Brady's shoulders dropped and he looked glumly down at his plate before looking at his mother up from underneath his lashes. "Do I have to?" His green eyes shifted. "They're all just going to…ask why I was out of school so much and make a big deal out of it."

Sighing through her nose, Cadence leaned forward and ruffled her son's hair. "You weren't gone that long, Brade and I'm sorry it took me so long to get to you and I promise it won't happen again. But those other kids…they won't care. They're just going to be happy to know that you're back in class with them." She gave him a long look. "Unless this is about a girl."

"No way!" He recoiled quickly, his shaggy hair covering his face. "Girls have cooties."

Cadence feigned offense. "I'm a girl. Do I have cooties?"

"Yes, but you're my Mom. So your cooties are okay."

"I'm glad I have your stamp of approval." Cadence laughed and looked at her watch. If she didn't head out to work soon she was going to be late and unlike Barry, she was very punctual. "Go get your stuff or we'll be late."

"OK." Brady slid out of his chair and went to his room to get his school books. Cadence gathered up their dirty dishes and disposed of the as he got ready for school. "Don't forget you have soccer practice after school today."

When Brady returned from the room with his book bag and sports bag, Cadence made sure she had all of her gear to work at the fitness center, and the two headed out to the bus stop, waiting for the bust hat would take him to Central City Elementary.

"I'm working a couple of different classes today, one running kind of late," she explained as the bus pulled up in front of them. "So when you're done with practice you can take the bus to the fitness center and I'll meet you there."

"Okay." Brady turned and gave his mother a hug. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you, too." Cadence watched as Brady got onto the bus before walking around to the back of the apartment building. She looked both ways, being careful that she wasn't being watched, before teleporting via the use of flames as she had done the night before. She popped up in an alley across the street from the fitness center and as she started across, she spotted a familiar head of hair walking down the street away from the fitness center.

Narrowing her dark eyes, Cadence tilted her head to the side as she continued to the fitness center, watching the woman continue down the street. Due to her punk look in nature, she had immediately drawn Cadence's eye, but it was the shock of white hair that had been cut in a Mohawk atop her head that caused Cadence to react in surprise.

"Leah?" She questioned as the woman went around the corner. _I thought Breathtaker said we were still waiting for her. _She continued to stand in front of the fitness center when she heard her name called and turned, watching Harrison motoring over to her. "Harrison," she greeted him. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled a little, eyes flashing behind his glasses. "I like to get some exercise in every once in a while," he explained. "God forbid I look like a body builder by the time I'm done, top half heavier than the bottom, but it's better than sitting around and tinkering with my experiments all day."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow, studying him.

And yet the smile remained on Harrison's face as he folded his hands in his lap. "I was hoping I could have a word with you, Cadence. That is if you have the time."

"I'm early for my shift as it is," Cadence replied with a nod. She reached out and grabbed onto the door of the fitness center, allowing Harrison to wheel in before her. Once inside she instructed him over to an emptier part of the lobby; a ping-pong table set up at one side and a pool table at the other. Apart from the older men that sat on one of the couches by the ping-pong table, they were alone.

Cadence sat down on the couch, crossing her legs at the knee as she looked up at Harrison. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you could pass on a message to Kent and Maya," Harrison said to her. "That I hope they're doing well and nothing b good wishes."

Cadence blinked, caught off guard. She cleared her throat before reaching her hand up to her neck and scratching the back of her neck. "I haven't spoken to my parents for some time now," she replied. "As unfortunate as that is. But we just seem to keep missing each other when it comes to communication. But I'll do my best to get the message to them I mean,"—she laughed lightly—"you've been a family friend for so long, I'm sure they'd like to hear from you."

Harrison kept his gaze steady on the fire metahuman. "I'd hope that's the case. Your parents have always been able to see the good in people and I'd hate to think that they would think badly of me after the accident." He cleared his throat, running his hands over his knees. "But then that brings me back to you, I know our contact had been sporadic over the years but I'd like to think that we've had a good relationship. I don't know if you'd remember but I had been present at a few birthday parties and celebrations…" he trailed off, looking away from her.

Cadence nodded. She did remember him being in attendance for her tenth birthday, giving her a chemistry set that she had used for hours on end before she had gotten so into her track practices and, admittedly, becoming more interested in boys. She remembered being a little disappointed he hadn't been there for her middle school graduation, but they sporadically had kept in touch as the years went by. "I can honestly say, Harrison, that out of anyone in the world the first person that I'd trust, apart from my parents,"—she felt a twinge of _yeah right _as she said those words, but he didn't need to know about it—"would be you."

At those words, Harrison turned his eagle eye back to her. "Now how do you think it makes me feel considering you've been keeping something so big from me?" Cadence paled, her mind racing a mile a minute before he continued, causing her to relax. He lowered his voice as he leaned towards her. "You've had your powers for a long time," he said. "For sixteen years. As a matter of fact. You've had all that time to hone and harness your powers and when it comes to working with us at S.T.A.R. Labs, you're holding back."

Cadence continued to watch him, eyes narrowing as the seconds passed.

"Now that brings me to the question of _why_ you're keeping it from us. By now you'd be familiar with the absolute extent of your abilities without leading to the brain damage that you're so deathly afraid of." Before Cadence could answer, he smiled a little and despite the tense, almost manipulative smiles he usually showed, this one was sincere.

Small, but sincere.

"Having had your powers start when you were at such a young age, I understand that it may have been scary and you were essentially forced to keep it quiet. But you're in an area where abilities like this should be celebrated. And not only that, but I believe that you will be a great driving force in providing Barry Allen with the tactics, strategies, and uses of his power to ensure that he had a great future."

Cadence closed her eyes, turning her head away. She knew Harrison to be very smart, not many other people would be able to create something in their entire lifetimes as extraordinary and astounding as the particle accelerator. And she found it would be difficult to keep things away from him. He had hundreds of people that had worked for him and they all had to report to him for things that would be excelling or failing. It was his job to know when something was being hidden from him.

But what did he really want to know? She wondered. Did he want to know absolutely every last thing she was able to accomplish with her abilities? Did he want to know every last thing that had happened to her outside of her abilities? Did he want to know what she was doing now? _Does he know what I'm doing now? _

And for the first time since Cadence had announced her arrival to Barry, Harrison, Cisco, and Caitlin, she wondered if coming to Central City was a bad idea. She was away from her past in Metropolis, her life was getting better—despite her means of providing a better life for her son could be questionable—, and she had come upon a place that would allow her to use her powers in peace. Having someone on her side for once…

Harrison reached out and gently grabbed onto her hand. "Everyone at S.T.A.R. Labs wants to see you succeed. You and Barry. You're in a safe place now."

Cadence smiled and he pulled his hand away. "I think I'll be safer once I actually clock into work," she commented. Harrison nodded and backed away his wheelchair so that she had space to get up from the couch. She watched him leave the fitness center before going back to the locker room and getting ready for her first class.

When she entered the room, she immediately spotted Iris stretching in the corner of the room and caught her eye. The young, dark-skinned girl smiled and waved at her and Cadence gave a short wave back before that familiar feeling of guilt washed over her, this time stronger than ever.

Bringing her hands up, she smoothed her hair back out of her face and pulled it into a ponytail before turning to the boom box that sat on the floor beside her and turning it on. Loud, upbeat music poured out and she turned back to the class with a wide smile on her face.

"Okay, who's ready to have some fun?"

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><p><strong>AN: **Just so you guys know the full summary and pairings for the story have been added to the first chapter if you'd check that out. What would you guys like to see as the story goes on? More fights? More comedic moments? More with the Assassination Bureau/Suicide Squad? More background on Cadence?

I do plan on having some more interaction with Cisco and Cadence as well as bringing in Eddie, Iris, and Joe in more. Thanks for those that read and reviewed and alerted and favorite. It means a lot.

Review Reply:

_jalohalo123:_ I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that female fans only like The Flash for the guys as I know there are a lot that read the comics too. I meant that on tumblr I had seen that being the most debated topic, whether they preferred Barry or Wells. Thanks for your review; I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	11. Dreams and Realities

**.:11:.**

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><p>Sighing heavily, Barry turned onto his right side. He stared at the wall in front of him for a few moments before squeezing his eyes shut. He held that position for a total of one and a half minutes; he counted, before flopping onto his back and staring at the ceiling. Shadows and flashes of light swirled around the ceiling; dancing back and forth and chasing each other while the sirens and sounds of Central City reached his ears.<p>

He struggled to focus on counting sheep but then found he had gotten to almost 3000 sheep in a matter of seconds before lightly groaning, reaching up and running his hands over his face. That had been one of the side-effects Barry didn't anticipate of his powers. He already had a mind that ran a mile a minute because of his scientific background as well as the capacity of knowledge he dealt with on a daily basis. Then to add on his speed to increase the thoughts that raced across his mind right before he went to sleep and for the past couple of days found that he couldn't get to sleep.

He had read many horror stories of those that had hours, even days without sleeping. He had studied the types of drugs they had taken to stay awake; they had seen how the personalities quickly changed, how they started to have micro-sleeps in the middle of their day, and even how they had started to hallucinate.

Drugs weren't his thing and he wasn't even going to experience micro-sleep if he wasn't able to sleep at all, but hallucinations were what he was afraid of plaguing him. Flashes of light here and there, thinking there was some liquid around him floating. At first he had thought it was form his memory of the night his mother died, but he was one hundred percent sure that had never happened while in his own apartment. But while he continued to lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, he saw the flashes of light once more.

Twisting his head to the side, Barry's eyes rapidly moved around his bedroom, trying to follow the light. Heart hammering against his ribcage, he flung himself upwards and turned on the light, hoping he would catch whatever monster or boogeyman it was that had caught his eye. But like every other time he had indulged himself upon his nightmares, there was nothing.

Wait—

He frowned, listening hard. Was that the creaking of his floorboard? There was a specific floorboard near his front door that creaked no matter where he had stepped around it. No matter where he was in the apartment, the sound of that floorboard creaking could be heard when he had people around. Not that anyone really did come to his place; Iris and Joe were the only ones that really came by and from the looks on his face, Barry knew Joe was never particularly impressed about the state of his apartment but wasn't going to ask him to move back home.

Slowly climbing out of bed, Barry reached over and grabbed the baseball bat that had been resting in the corner of his room. Holding it up high in his hands, he walked out of his room and crept towards the living room. Was he really hearing this? Or was there really someone out in this apartment? He had taken a few more steps before coming to a stop, tilting his head back and mentally smacking himself in the face.

_Duh, Barry, you have powers. If there's anyone in here, you can get them in a matter of seconds. _With that thought, he zipped out of his room and towards the living room. As soon as he appeared in the living room, Eddie let out a bit of a yelp as he turned around and found Barry and Joe looked at the metahuman with a raised eyebrow.

Barry, on the other hand, stared at the two police officers with his mouth wide open. Finally, he found his voice. "What are you two doing in here? Wait." He held up a hand. "What are you doing in my apartment?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Eddie replied, finally managing to catch his breath. He motioned to the bat in Barry's hand. "Playing a game of catch?"

"More like whack-a-mole." The response came flatly and Barry ran a hand over the back of his head. Joe turned to Barry, his eyebrow rising even higher and looked him up and down. Barry then noticed that he was only in his boxers and rolled his eyes at his own exasperation. "Okay, my bedroom wardrobe aside, what are you guys doing here in my apartment?"

"I called your cell phone like five times, Barry, but you haven't answered," Joe explained. "Captain Singh wants us to check out the bomb site sooner rather than later and I know that you're off the clock right now, but it'll give you the day off tomorrow."

Barry nodded, slowly trying to piece together what had just been said to him. _Wait a minute. They want to check out the site right now? Normally we wait for the morning, when we have all of our resources at our disposal? Especially considering all of the benefits of having Captain Singh there when we were able to_—

"Barry!"

Blinking rapidly, Barry took a step back and looked over at Eddie and Joe, who continued to stare back at him. He brought a hand up to his forehead, gently shaking it. "Right. Yeah. Just let me get dressed." He started to move around the Detectives, only stopped by a hand on his shoulder by Joe, who gave him the look that only father's could give. That 'you better tell me the truth or I'll be disappointed in you' you kind of look.

Having been on the receiving end of that look so many times—mostly because of the times Barry had tried to run away to see his father in Iron Heights—he knew it was something he had to listen to.

"I know you didn't just come zooming displaying your powers all willy-nilly," Joe said in his low rumble as Eddie looked around the apartment. He glanced at his partner before turning back with a slight smile. "Though it was funny to see him jump like that."

The grin that graced Barry's features faded after a second. "Yeah, well, what do you expect me to do when people break into my apartment!"

"One, I didn't break in, I have a key," Joe reminded him. "And two, even then, you can't have people know about your abilities even when you're the most vulnerable." He looked over at Eddie once more, who was now glancing at pictures that lined the wall and then started laughing to himself. "But that was _really_ funny."

Barry went back to his room and got dressed as quickly as he could before walking back out to the living room, pulling up the collar of his jacket. He glanced over at Eddie who had taken a picture of him and Iris off the wall and was looking down at it with a fond smile. "You guys have known each other a long time," he remarked.

_You've been together for how long and you didn't know that? _Whether it was sleep deprivation or his own bitter thoughts, Barry didn't know for sure, but there was a surge of pride that had gone through his body at the realization that he may still have a bit of a leg-up against the good looking Detective. "Yeah, forever," he agreed.

"And you've got a really good place here," Eddie continued. "Though it must be getting kind of lonely being here by yourself."

"…yeah…?" The speedy metahuman gave Joe an odd look and the African-American man gave him a confused shrug in reply before they left the apartment building and headed down to the crime scene that Barry had been at hours before. When they arrived, the Detectives were joined by other police officers and spread out, starting to look through the evidence that had been left behind.

Opening his examiner's kit, Barry pulled out a pair of gloves and started to pull them on. But then a rush of wind zipping by him, tugging at his hair and clothes.

_Barry._

He whipped his head upwards, eyes shifting back and forth. His co-workers around him continued to go about their jobs as if they hadn't heard anything. Had _he _heard anything? Looking back down at the crime scene that had been roped off, Barry had started to work once more, getting ready to take a sample when the wind blue once more, this time scattering the evidence in front of him.

Now, he felt fingers brush against his neck and he slowly stood up, looking around. His hands immediately filling with sweat, he started to follow in the direction of where he thought the wind was coming from. Maybe an air conditioner.

As he continued to walk he heard the whisper of his name growing louder and louder.

_Barry…_

_Barry._

_Barry!_

_Barry…_

"Who's there?" He followed the voice around the corner and saw a dark figure standing at the end of the hall. "Hello? Are you alright?" Receiving no answer he crept towards the figure at the end of the hall. It stared back at him, not moving. "You shouldn't be here…this is an open CCPD investigation. A crime scene. It's all blocked off."

"Barry."

The figure spoke and Barry stopped in his tracks. That voice…he would recognize it anywhere. It was the voice that he had wanted to hear for years, the ones he heard in his dreams and in the memories he wanted to have, the ones he held onto so tightly he couldn't bear to let go.

Mouth dropping open slightly, Barry moved the slowest he ever had, in case the image in front of him became that, an image, and illusion that would leave him. In his right mind, he knew there was no way, but at the same time…she was right there in front of him.

"M-Mom?" The word came out of his mouth in a whisper, almost inaudible.

Nora Allen smiled back at her son, pressing her hands to her cheeks before reaching out to cup Barry's cheeks. Her hands were warm; as comforting as he remembered her being. "Barry," she murmured. "My sweet little Teddy Bare."

Barry reached up to press his hands against his mother's. "Mom." And then there was a sharp tug at the back of his collar and he felt himself stumbling backwards and falling to the floor. He zeroed in on the hole that sat in front of him and looked up to see Joe practically glaring down at him. Not a glare of anger, one of intense worry. "Wha—?"

"What did you think you were doing?" Joe demanded. "I turn around and you look like you're about to jump out the window!"

"I, I was, uh…" Barry looked ahead of him and saw that he was standing nearby the hole that had been created by the explosion from the night before. The wind that he felt had been coming from the breeze that wafted over Central City. The fingers on his neck, his mother…

He took a deep breath and turned back to Joe before getting to his feet, brushing off his clothes. "I just…wanted to get an idea of the force of the explosion by the size of the hole as well as the supports that are exposed…" he trailed off.

"Yeah, well, you aren't invincible, Barry, please don't test that theory unless you know for sure," Joe said. He removed his tight grip from Barry's shoulder and turned him back towards the debris that had been scattered along the floor. "Please…get back to work. Unless you _want _me to keep an eye on you.

"That won't be necessary."

Barry finished pulling on his gloves and kneeled back down by the debris on the floor, the remnants of the explosion. As he got busy with his work he tried to push the thoughts of his mother back out of his head. _I mean, she's dead, Barry. You know that._

And yet, he still couldn't help but question that if she really weren't there, why did it feel so real?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I hope to pick up the pace with the story with the next chapter as I know these last few ones have been kind of slow as they're been around the same days. That being said, I'm sorry there was a short chapter compared to the other ones, I knew what I wanted to do with this chapter but I had a hard time getting it out, if that makes sense, but it does bring in Barry's overall plot.

Review Reply:

Guest Review 1: Thanks for the review. Cadence _is _there to see Barry but for a mysterious/sinister reason. And they're not completely trustworthy of Cadence, not yet. However Harrison's knowing her does give them pause to distrust her right away and it's also for the same reason Barry trusted Bette/Plastique so quickly; because she's another metahuman and he doesn't feel so alone. Thanks for your questions. :)

Guest Review 2: Thanks for the review. I'm sorry that you fell that way, however this story is is Barry/OC friendship-which may or may not change, I haven't decided. Though I can understand how that might've been confused so thank you for bringing it to my attention.

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	12. Do you think Wells dates?

**.:12:.**

* * *

><p>"Do you think Wells dates?"<p>

The question had caught Caitlin so off guard that she nearly dropped the coffee mug that rested against her palms, cradled by her delicate fingertips, all over her laptop. If it wouldn't have angered her so much it probably would've been a good thing, she needed to stop looking at pictures of Tahiiti longingly. It just made her heart hurt more and more as the days passed.

Removing her hand from the mug, Caitlin deftly used her fingers to close out of the goggle images window, only to be rewarded with a picture of her and Ronnie smiling happily at the camera. With a slight sigh—more like a grunt of disgust—she closed her laptop. That was the second thing she had to do, change her computer background.

Turning her attention to Cisco, she noticed that he was still waiting for her answer, standing in the doorways, hands shoving into the pockets of his cargos, a stick of a lollipop hanging out of his mouth. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Do you think Wells dates?" Cisco repeated and then launched into his tirade. "I mean, it's been a while since the incident and I'm sure that many people find him attractive. He's not bad looking for his age and the whole being in the wheelchair thing should probably help with that whole vulnerable thing."

Caitlin's face scrunched up in confusion, which is something that typically happened when trying to decipher what it was that Cisco was talking about, and then leaned back in her seat. "What do you mean? What suddenly brought that up?"

Shrugging, Cisco took a step towards Caitlin, then backed up once more when he felt the blast of AC. "I was on my way here this morning and saw Wells at the fitness center." When Caitlin's eyebrows rose, he clarified. "I saw him there with Cadence. They were holding hands." He shrugged. "I mean if he likes younger girls that's fine; he can do whatever he wants. But that's kind of weird, right?"

For the first time in her life, Caitlin was at a loss for words. She had no fears of public speaking, could talk to just about anybody, and wasn't afraid to show people that she had a vast knowledge about anything she set her mind to, but once it came to the topic of Harrison Wells' dating life, she didn't know what to say. Not only should she _not _think about it—it wasn't her business, he deserved his privacy, he was her mentor—but what sort of woman did it make her if she bypassed all of his success, awards, and novelty just to gossip about his love life?

But then again…it was an interesting thought. _Not that you're interested of course, _she reminded herself, feeling a surge of heat move to her cheek. None of them knew anything about Cadence's past, they had opened their arms to her when she first came to STAR Labs and Caitlin could admit that most of it was due to the fact that Harrison had put in a good word for her. They had known each other for a long time, as it had been said, he had known of her abilities for a long time, and now she was part of their team. She hadn't thought there was anything else that could be going on between them.

_Dating? _Caitlin thought about it for a long moment then shook her head. No, she refused to believe that. "Like you said, he can date whomever he wants," she said, making a show of putting down her coffee. "But I don't think he's dating her. That's just…such a preposterous idea. For one, he's old enough to be her father. For another, that wouldn't be ethical. Dating one of your co-workers could be very detrimental to your work and everything else that is affected by them."

"Okay…" Cisco gave her a knowing look and she rolled her eyes in frustration.

Yes, she realized the split second after finishing her sentence that she had basically just thrown herself and Ronnie under the bus—she really had to stop thinking about him—and hadn't helped her case at all. But it wasn't like Cisco was demeaning her for it; he had been best friends with her fiancé and could admit at times that she had been jealous of their bromance. It was hard to tear Ronnie away from video game nights and wacky experiments that the two somehow managed to think was a good idea that ultimately had them call 911 so much so that the paramedics knew them on a first name basis.

But Cisco had also been the one that had been the first Caitlin and Ronnie told about their dating, before getting their blessing from Wells, and was the first one they had announce their engagement to. As far as Caitlin knew, she wouldn't have gone out with Ronnie or had been engaged to him if it weren't for Cisco as he was the one that told Caitlin to give him a chance after turning the young engineer down the first time he asked her out. Slated to be the best man, Cisco had truly cemented the spot as Ronnie's best friend and Caitlin's pseudo-little brother to the point she didn't know what she would do without having Cisco in her life.

She certainly wouldn't have been able to get through the explosion and the grief that came afterwards without him to go through it as well—Wells had been in the hospital and physical therapy long enough to miss most of the funerals—and probably wouldn't have been able to keep going if he wasn't there to always try and make her smile. In fact, after Wells had asked her and Cisco to continue working with STAR Labs, to look after Barry and track his progress, he was the one that had talked her into it. While the three of them were a team, she wouldn't be able to do anything without Cisco by her side.

"Shut up, Cisco." Caitlin gave a light laugh, twisting back and forth in her office chair. She motioned to the seat across from her. "Why don't you come in and sit with me? I could use some time to listen to your next theory over who Superman or the Arrow is."

Now Cisco gave her a funny look, making a show of taking a large step backwards. "No, thanks. I plan on keeping that chair permanently empty." Caitlin's next look was nothing but offensive. "Sorry, Cait, but your office is freezing and I don't plan on having my nipples turn blue then fall off."

"One; blue is a beautiful color,"—Caitlin stuck her tongue out at her friend as he rolled his eyes—"and two, it's not that cold in here." She never noticed the cold anyway; in fact, she had always thought it was kind of warm in her office that was why she always had the AC running. But…no one did seem to like sitting in her office for more than a few minutes before complaining, despite her sitting in a light blouse that revealed her elegant arms lacking a hint of goose bumps.

Cisco was about to reply, but was cut off by the sound of Harrison's vice coming through the speakers in the office. "Cisco, Caitlin, I'd like to see you out on the main floor. There is something of the utmost importance we have to talk about."

Caitlin gracefully uncrossed her legs and stood up straight. Smoothing down the back of her skirt she motioned for Cisco to follow her. They fell into step together as they head out to the main floor. Taking another sip of her coffee, it had started to go cold, she went back to the subject they had been talking about before because…honestly, she kind of wanted to know for herself.

"If you _really _want to know if Wells is dating, just ask him."

"Sure, and then I'll probably be relegated to cleaning the entire particle accelerator with a toothbrush."

"Wells wouldn't do that!"

"With his sense of humor, he might."

Caitlin and Cisco smiled at each other as they entered the main floor and spotted Barry, Wells, and Cadence were waiting for them. Cadence's arms were crossed over her chest, her windbreaker making a scratching sound against the fabric of her tank-top and lycra shorts as she shifted from foot to foot.

"We need to get your phone number, Cadence," Cisco said as the two came to a stop with their co-workers. "So it'll be easier to get in touch with you." He snapped his fingers. "And that reminds me to create an ear-piece for you suit, and maybe I can put in some flamethrowers or something as well."

Barry gave him an odd look. "If she controls fire, what would she need flamethrowers for?"

"I think Cisco's just using it as an excuse to build one," Caitlin said. "Kind of like the cold gun."

There was a brief moment of tense silence that filled the room and Caitlin winced, realizing her mistake. She turned to Cisco and gave a sheepish grimace, mouthing 'sorry' to him. Cisco managed a small smile in return.

"It'd be one hundred times better than the cold gun."

"What cold gun?" Cadence questioned.

"That's a conversation that we'd like to save for a later time, Miss. Nash," Wells smoothly broke in. He turned to Barry, training his blue eyes on him, and nodded. "Right now Mr. Allen has some interesting news regarding the explosion that he'd like to tell us. I understand that CCPD were at the scene of the crime last night."

Barry nodded, swallowing thickly. He thought about telling them, as soon as he saw them, about how he had seen his mother. But now he wasn't sure if there was a point. He was obviously just working hard and not getting a lot of sleep. He was imagining things. There was no other explanation as to why he would've seen his mother there.

"Well, we had been at the scene of the explosion last night got some of the initial investigation done, but…" he hesitated. "All we've got is a VA file number." At Cisco's glance of disbelief while he collapsed into his seat, Barry continued. "The CCPD has been taken off of the case by the army."

Cadence's eyebrows rose as she gave a low whistle. "They can do that?" She hoped her voice didn't sound as interested as it sounded to her.

"They can do a lot of things," Caitlin replied. "But I never thought they'd have the authority over something as small as this."

"Apparently it was under the orders of a General Eiling," Barry continued.

Then Wells made a sound that grasped the others' attention and he rested his hands into his lap. He paused for a moment, licking his lips before explaining. "General Wade Eiling. About ten years ago Eiling contacted STAR Labs to create an enhanced gene therapy for soldiers." He reached up and scratched the back of his neck, a dark look coming over his face. It affected him more than he wanted to lead on, that was obvious, however there was still something eerie about his next words. "But I was interested in the benefits for civilians. He really wanted to develop mind reading capabilities for interrogation purposes."

Cadence snorted loudly. "If he wanted to do that so badly, he could've just waited for the particle accelerator explosion. Maybe someone was getting their fortune told when they were hit by the blast." She said bluntly then looked around; realizing everyone else had merely looked at her. "Sorry, was that too soon?"

"Just a little, Cade," Barry replied.

She nodded and fell silent, listening once more.

"I stopped my studies when I saw what was going on, but let's just say that our split was less than amicable," Harrison continued.

Barry nodded. He hadn't thought there would be a lot of people that had wanted to speak to Wells after the explosion, and it was a harsh reality to think about, knowing that there had been so many that _had _wanted to work with him before everything that happened, happened. Despite the wheelchair the man was imprison in being a constant reminder of that, it had to be those that _hadn't_ been affected by the explosion that made things even worse for him.

Clearing his throat, the speedy metahuman handed over the folder he had clenched tightly in his hand. "The army took everything apart from this folder." Wells gave Barry a look of gratitude and the metahuman turned towards Cisco, whose frantic typing had finally reached his ears.

"Name that matches the ID is Bette Sans Souci," he explained as Caitlin, Cadence, and Barry all went to the computer behind him to get a closer look at the data.

Cadence looked at the photo and gave a nod so small it was undetectable to those around her. Yep, it was the same girl she had met on the roof with Lucas and Breathtaker. _So she's the one that blew up the office building. I wonder if this is Breathtaker's plan. _The most worrying point was that if it was part of something the Assassination Bureau was a part of…how come she wasn't told?

"There's a lot of redacted info, but otherwise I've looked her up and found that she's…excuse me, she _was _a member of the EOD portion of the army." He sucked in a breath between his teeth as Barry brought a hand up to cover his mouth.

Caitlin tilted her head to the side, scratching the side of her neck. She willed her eyes not to trail over towards Wells, who was busy going through the contents of the folder, and focused on the picture of the woman that was on screen. "EOD?" she repeated.

"Bombs."

"Oh."

"D'you have an address?" Barry asked. He waited for Cisco to relay the information before nodding over at Cadence, who listened to the exchange quietly. "C'mon."

"Actually." Harrison's voice cut through the air and the two metahumans turned back to him. "Barry, you can go see if you can find Bette, I don't feel it'll be a two person job. While you're at it, I have some tests that I'd like to fun on Cadence." He didn't give the opportunity for protest as he navigated his wheelchair around and headed towards the medical bay of STAR Labs. Barry zoomed out of the room with a gust of wind.

"I'll bet he does," Cisco murmured to Caitlin, causing the bioengineer to smile in amusement.

The electronic grinding sound of Harrison's chair immediately stopped. "What was that, Cisco? Do you have something to say?"

Caitlin immediately moved in front of her friend, her natural instinct to defend him kicking in. She had seen how furious Wells was when he learned of Cisco's cold gun and didn't want that wrath bestowed upon him once more. Maybe he would be easier on her. _Where'd that come from?_ She cleared her throat before speaking. "He was just saying that, earlier, he saw you and Cadence in the fitness center…kind of cozy…" she explained. Now Harrison turned around and regarded her with a hard stare, eyes flashing. "We're not saying it's any of our business what you decide to do in your free time, but we were kind of curious what your relationship with really Cadence is. I mean, she suddenly stumbled upon STAR Labs saying she was looking for Barry and you immediately brought her in." She turned to the fire metahuman who listened intently.

"No offense, but its not like we've had the best luck with metahumans as of late, we don't know if there's anything that'll happen."

_More than you think. _But instead of allowing the thought laced with mixed emotions to appear anywhere on her face, Cadence's nose wrinkled as she listened to Caitlin's explanation. "I can tell you it's not what you're thinking," the fire metahuman interrupted before Harrison could continue. "I'm not dating Wells." The expression on her face was the epitome of disgust. "It's like I've said before, I've known him for a while." She turned her head to the side, nervously scratching her neck. "He's an old family friend of my Mom's and Dad's. Other than that, I don't have a relationship with him."

Caitlin and Cisco, who had turned from Cadence and back to Wells, noticed that something strange had flashed through Wells's eyes as the brunette explained herself. Pain, maybe? But after a moment, the look was gone and he appeared amused. "As much as I enjoy the thought of you two discussing my dating life, which isn't as desolate as you would think, there are better times and places for that sort of conversation." He lifted a finger. "Now, the first thing that I'd like to do is run a CAT scan and an MRI. Considering the conversation that we had earlier, she's not afraid to show the extent of her abilities and I'd, first, like to see if there are any differences in her body to Barry's in means of the energy they both hold."

Following close behind the three STAR Labs workers, Cadence chewed her lower lip. There was a reason she didn't like to show off the extent of her powers. Apart from having been trained to hide it so much when she was younger, but because she knew how powerful she could be at times. One moment of distraction or losing control and things would go badly. _Just like last time. _She let out a deep breath and waited as Caitlin walked back and forth from station to station as Cisco and Wells perched themselves behind computers that would bring up the images from the scans.

"Alright, Cadence, I need you to lie down on this platform," Caitlin said, motioning to the scanning machine. "It'll take you inside and you'll have to lie very still to make sure that we get everything we need to see, alright?"

Cadence hesitated, feeling something grip her muscles. She slowly walked towards the young woman. "Do we have to do a MRI? Is there anything else that will do the same thing?"

"I assure you that this is the most efficient way," Harrison called to her. "And you have no need to worry. I trust Dr. Snow with my life, if I felt she couldn't handle this, I wouldn't ask her to fulfill the task for me." Caitlin smiled a bashful smile over towards Wells before going over to Cadence and gently placing her hand on her shoulder.

Now that she knew there wasn't anything going on between her and Wells—that had, strangely—made her anxiety go away, she knew she could fully trust the fire metahuman. She gave the shorter woman a peaceful smile. "I'll go as quickly as possible," she promised. "But, as I've said, I must ask you to hold still as long as possible."

Cadence gave a small smile back and nodded, before dutifully climbing onto the platform. She pressed her hands down onto the cool surface of the plastic beneath her and looked up towards the ceiling. Caitlin reached over and carefully pulled Cadence's hair up into a ponytail and gave her another comforting smile—sort of a mothering one—before disappearing from view. Cadence let out a deep, shaky breath and continued to stare at the ceiling. Each breath in and out became shakier and shakier and the fire metahuman let out a quiet yelp as the platform started to move into the machine.

She squeezed her eyes shut, hands shaking against the hardened plastic, beads of sweat starting to roll down her forehead. She could feel it start to warm under her hands. There was a brief hum and she could hear the machine start up around her. Cadence slowly opened her eyes and when she became aware of how close the enclosed tube was around her, her chest started to rise and fall in rapid succession.

"Cadence, I need you to stop moving," Caitlin called.

Cadence pressed her lips together, hoping to hold in her whimpers but she could hear them start to come out.

"Something's wrong."

The words barely got out of Cisco's mouth before a loud scream erupted from Cadence. She brought her hands up and started to slam them against the inside of the machine, hoping to find a way out of it. Her hands erupted into flames and as she continued to hit the inside of the machine, it left scorch marks but didn't burn. There was a rustling sound and the tray slid out fast enough that Cadence twisted and fell to the floor face first.

Caitlin and Cisco were them by her side, Caitlin's arm around her shoulders, gently rubbing them and Cisco holding onto a large water bottle. Harrison wheeled close, but still sat a few feet away, looking down at the three in utmost distress. Cadence took the water bottle and drank half of it before handing it back to Cisco.

She dropped her hands to her lap, shoulders slumping, then looked back and forth between the three before letting out a quiet, "Did I mention that I'm claustrophobic?" Causing Wells to smile and Caitlin and Cisco to burst out into laughter. Relief instantly moved over the metahuman's body and she brushed her hair from her face. "I-I would've mentioned it but…"

"Don't worry about it." Caitlin patted her not he shoulder. "I'll get the handheld scanner." She stood up and started to leave the room as Cisco leaned into the machine.

"Wow, this resists fire, too," he remarked. "Maybe I can use his material for something…"

Barry then arrived back at STAR Labs in his underwear, pulling a gray t-shirt over his head. Cadence stood up from the floor and slowly walked over to him. Barry glanced at her then at Cisco and Caitlin, who both were staring at him in confusion.

"Don't ask," he muttered from their intense gazes.

Caitlin held up her hands, silent.

"What happened to your suit?" Cisco demanded. His tone of voice suddenly did a one-eighty. Gone was the excitement as he thought about the newest thing he could invent, replaced with intense fury.

Cadence walked over to Barry and grabbed onto his shoulder. Standing on her tiptoes she brought her nose up to his neck and took a deep breath, before backing away. Tilting her head back, she looked up at him curiously as she tried to figure out the origin of the acrid smell that wafted from his skin, accompanying the scent of Old Spice. She recognized all reasons for something burning; electrical fires, grease fires, burning wood, anything that caught on fire created a different sort of scent. The flames that came from her gave off a sort of sweet smell. What was coming off of Barry was acrid and smelled, surprisingly of gunpowder.

"It blew up," she reported. "A bomb?" At Barry's nod she took a step back and looked him up and down. There didn't appear to be any mark on him.

"It blew up?" Cisco repeated.

"I don't know what happened," Barry defended himself. "I found her and was going to bring her back here, then she touched me and my suit exploded. She's not carrying bombs, she _is_ a bomb! A metahuman! A metahuman that can create bombs from anything she touches."

Cisco took in the information with a slight nod, lower jaw moving to the side. He was clearly too preoccupied with the thought of his suit having blown up more than the news of the new metahuman. Wells, on the other hand, listened quietly to the news, fingertips pressed together.

"How can anyone so beautiful blow up my suit?" Cisco collapsed into his chair once more, bringing up the picture of Bette. He let out a sigh, as he stared longingly at it.

"Unless she didn't mean to hurt you," Cadence spoke up. She hopped no one noticed the way she looked at Bette's photo. "If she were trying to blow you up specifically, don't you think she would've tried harder?"

"And it would explain why General Eiling is so interested in her," Wells spoke up. He closed the folder and placed it on his lap. "Feel free to give yourselves the rest of the day off. I have some things that I need to take care of." He backed out of the medicinal wing and headed towards his office. Passing by Caitlin, he lowered his voice so only she could hear him. "I put a lot of faith in your decisions, Ms. Snow; please let me know if you think that continuing with the can of Cadence is needed. If not, I have some other ideas."

"Of course," Caitlin agreed. She watched Wells leave once more._ If he's a family friend, wouldn't he have known she was claustrophobic? _Then her next thought was the one that startled her. _Unless he's trying to keep something from us. _She had never had a reason to doubt Wells before, but now, with a strange, tightening sensation in her stomach, Caitlin Snow realized she might not know him as well as she thought. And it made her feel weird.

* * *

><p>Cadence glanced at her watch before starting to pace back and forth. The soles of her black vans scraped against the ground as she continued to pace back and forth. Soon she heard footsteps coming her way and she turned, finding Bette slowly coming towards her, cautiously looking her up and down.<p>

"So, I heard you blasted apart the suit of one of my friends," was the first thing Cadence said to the explosive metahuman. Bette's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"I didn't think he was part of the Assassination Bureau," Bette said to her. Cadence gave a slight smile.

"He's not," she said. "Just like he wouldn't be part of the Suicide Squad." Now Bette's face turned hard and she moved towards the fire metahuman with a determined stride. "No, those factions work separately." She nodded towards Bette. "I mean, that's why Breathtaker allowed you to finish whatever it is you needed to finish before helping us with our assignment." She tilted her head to the side. "So you're the one that destroyed the office building last night…what was so important about that file?"

Bette looked at Cadence for a long moment, and then shook her head. It wasn't a dismissive head shake, but one that showed how…vulnerable she was. Cadence recognized the look on her face, one of anxiety, being stuck between two different choices that had to be made. "Do you ever wonder if things happen for a reason?" Bette changed the subject. "That we're the way we are…we joined the groups we did for a reason?"

Cadence thought about it. She didn't really remember when she had run into the Assassination Bureau or what it was about her that they had wanted. She just remembered the days after she had started working for them and that she still currently was. She didn't believe it happened to her for a reason more than she thought she had her powers for a reason.

"Why _are _you working for the Assassination Bureau?" Bette changed the subject. Cadence's eyes narrowed over at her. "If we're going to be working together…Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau, I think I'm owed an explanation."

Cadence ran a hand through her hair. "For the money," she said.

Bette didn't appear surprised. She merely crossed her arms. "Monetary gain can be a pretty powerful thing," she remarked. "It can turn even the most level-headed person into a shell of what they once were."

"Money's not for me," Cadence said, though she didn't elaborate even further. She turned the tables back on Bette. "What about you? Why'd you join Suicide Squad?"

Now Bette smiled a little. "It gives me a better sentence than the one I was already going to have." She took a couple of steps backwards. "I'll see you soon."

Cadence nodded and watched her leave, waiting until she was out of sight before looking at her watch once more. She then teleported out of the area in a rush of flames and smoke and appeared behind the building across the street from the fitness center. She had just made it across when the city bus pulled up and the doors whooshed open.

"Hi, Mom!" Brady came flying down the steps, backpack in hand.

"Hey, Buddy." Cadence knelt down and opened her arms, giving her son a hug when he reached her. She took his backpack and slung it over her shoulders before taking his hand and starting down the street. "How was school?"

"It was okay," Brady replied with a shrug. "It's school."

"You're only eight years old, Brady, you can't use the 'its school' excuse yet," Cadence playfully reprimanded him. "Save it for middle school at least. It'd keep me from worrying so much."

"You always worry, Mom."

"You're right, but at least give me some peace of mind before I prematurely start to go gray."

Brady laughed, causing Cadence to smile. She really wouldn't know what she would be doing if she hadn't had Brady. Despite being sixteen years old and becoming terrified when it had been confirmed that she really was pregnant, she could never think of having aborted the child. At first, her thought had been to give him up for adoption, and shortly before the deadline of the decision to be made; she felt him kick for the first time. She had been sitting on the floor of her room, hands on her stomach as she tried to figure out the answer to the math problem she had been working on when she felt the sudden pressure on her lower stomach. Slowly, she brought her hands down and rested them on the area that had taken the blow and whispered out a quiet, "hello?"

She felt idiotic for trying to speak to the baby, but then found that it reacted, kicking her once more. She felt it under her hands. Smiling to herself, she moved her hands to another part of her stomach and leaned over—struggling to lean over—and spoke to another part of her belly. "Hello?"

There was another kick, the baby having followed the sound of her voice.

She knew then that she couldn't give up her baby or adoption. Despite knowing there was a chance it'd have a better life, she couldn't bear the thought, not after the connection they had made. She suffered through verbal abuse form her peers as she decided to keep the baby, her parents' own embarrassment, and even then she still wouldn't make a different decision.

"Well, if you go gray that means you're old, and that means you can retire and spend more time at home," Brady said. The comment was so innocent, something he probably didn't think twice about, but it was still something that hurt Cadence to the core. He knew nothing of their lives other than there being some people she had angered that had taken him, but he hadn't seemed to be too concerned about it, especially knowing the powers she had.

Still, she wondered if there would ever be a time where he would stop believing everything she told him and wanted to know the truth and how he would react when he was finally told.

"Yeah, well, if I stayed home all the time we wouldn't have any money, remember?" She reminded him.

"Yeah, but then we can live with Grandma and Grandpa. I haven't seen them in a while." Cadence grimaced at Brady's comment and looked away from him as they passed by Jitters. She noticed Barry inside and he must've noticed her too for he turned her way and waved. The fire metahuman waved back and turned to Brady. "Are you hungry? Soccer practice must've taken a lot out of you."

"Yeah!" Brady's eyes immediately lit up and, mirroring his other's enthusiasm, dragged her inside the coffee shop. He left her grasp and went over to the counter, taking in the menu and what they had to offer. Barry chuckled as he got up from his table and went to Cadence.

"I see he's not very shy when it comes to knowing what he wants," he remarked.

Cadence nodded as she crossed her arms. "Unfortunately that seems to be something he's gotten from me," she remarked, causing Barry to laugh. _No matter how true that is._ "So what are you doing here? I figured with your day off you'd be off doing…" she trailed off, realizing that she didn't know him well enough to know what it was he liked to do during his free time. "Whatever it is that Barry Allen does."

The speedy metahuman looked over his shoulder towards Iris, who was leaning over the counter, talking to Brady. "Actually, I was hoping that Iris and I could do something together. I mean, we haven't been able to do much with my job, STAR Labs, Eddie…"

"You feel like you're losing your best friend," Cadence remarked, to which Barry nodded. She wasn't going to press his having a thing for her again; he was very clearly a bad liar about it if even Caitlin and Cisco had noticed it. "I know the feeling; I lost my best friends when I left Metropolis. They didn't understand…they were always aware that I was keeping secrets from them and I guess it bothered them more than I thought."

"When'd you leave?"

After a slight hesitation Cadence responded, "When I was seventeen."

"That's kind of young, don't you think? Where'd you go?"

"I didn't think it was so young. Everyone that lives in Metropolis, for the most part, is pretty independent from their parents. We had to grow up that way, not only was it a place that had a lot of successful business that were being run; LutherCorp, Queen Industries—"

"It's called Queen Consolidated now," Barry interrupted.

Cadence wrinkled her nose then twisted her mouth to the side. "It's a better name, I suppose. Places like that are the ones that run the city. And then there are the smaller businesses that most families of Metropolis own. So you're either gonna be trapped in the pitfall of working with your family or you find some way to get out." She held up a hand. "Don't get me wrong, it's a cool place to live, and if you get tired of the city you can always go to Smallville. There's always something to do."

"Doesn't sound like a place I'd leave, honestly," Barry said. He turned towards the table he had occupied before and Cadence joined him. "Kind of like Central City, I've never left it."

"Not even after what happened to your parents?" Cadence looked up as Brady walked over with a large chocolate chip cookie in his hands. He broke off a part and handed it over to his mother, who gave him a grateful smile and took a bite.

Barry gave a sad smile. "No," he said honestly. "I made a vow that I wouldn't leave until I found out who killed them."

Brady's eyes widened at the words. "Someone killed your parents?"

Cadence nodded and turned towards him. "This is Barry Allen. He, Detective West, and Detective Thawne helped me find you."

"Oh. Hi!"

"Hi." Barry replied, chuckling as Brady went back to eating, bust listened intently. "After they were murdered, I went to live with Joe and Iris, but I didn't give up trying to figure out what happened. It was that and Joe's influence that made me think about working for the CCPD. And even if I do find the guy, I don't think I could leave. I love it here. Its home."

Cadence's eyebrows furrowed. "But aren't you lonely?" She hadn't meant being completely lonely, as in not having anyone around, he really did have people around him that cared for him. But being alone in ways that he couldn't let people know about his powers; ways that were clearly tearing him and Iris apart as he became closer and closer with Caitlin and Cisco on a daily basis.

"Weren't you?"

The fire metahuman nodded. "I didn't understand for a while, how lonely I felt. I mean, I had all of the friends in the world I could ever want…but then I didn't have anyone around me that really understood me or what I was going through. It was like having two different lives that I had to keep quiet, one that I was never able to show anyone. Not even those I trusted with my life. I mean, sure there's Superman and the Arrow, or whatever he calls himself, but…I never truly got over being alone. And with that loneliness…I've made some mistakes, but you can't learn if you don't make mistakes, right?"

"Right."

Stricken, Brady looked up at his mother. "You're not alone, you have me!"

"And me," Barry agreed to which Cadence smiled. Barry leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, tilting his head towards her. "So how does she treat you? She doesn't give you a hard time, does she?"

Chewing thoughtfully, Brady shrugged. "Sometimes, she worries. But my Mo—"

"Why don't you go see if they have chocolate muffins, too?" Cadence interrupted. Brady immediately slid out of his seat and went back over to the counter to ask for the item. Barry shook his head.

"You know he's going to be very hyper-active after that right?"

"Yeah, well, I've dealt with the little Goober for years; I think I can handle his hyperactivity by now." Cadence brushed her hair out of her face, resting her chin in her hand as she watched her son.

He was already talking a mile a minute to the waitresses about something and they listened to his every word. She turned back to Barry who had brought his coffee to his mouth, but looked at her with a smile in his eyes.

She reached out and picked up the napkin that sat on the table in front of him, balled it up, and threw it at him. "Shut up, Barry."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I don't think Tahiti was the honeymoon Caitlin and Ronnie were talking about, but I _really _can't remember what it was. Do you think the pacing of the story is okay? I originally intended to be done with the Platique episode by now but I kind of like where it's going. You will see the extent of Cadence's power soon.

While you're at it, check out my sister's Flash story _The Mark of Sage_ written by Crystal Manning. My other sister, whom shares this account with me, is writing a flash story as well entitled, _In a Flash, _that you should keep an eye out for when it's published.

Thanks to _GirrafePanda2, Alisha Winchester Collins, dontstopbelieving123, Castiel Angel Heart, bruno14, bronzelove, babyj, and Guest_ for reviewing and thanks for everyone that's favorited, alerted, and reviewed. I take constructive criticim

Review Reply

_Guest: _I plan on having Team Flarrow come in when it's the crossover episodes and continuing to have them there afterwards. But if anyone has any suggestions to bring them in earlier, then I'm all ears. I really loved the crossover and those characters (though I've only watched a few episodes of Arrow) and it'd be cool to bring them in earlier if possible.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone.

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	13. History Repeating

**.:13:.**

* * *

><p>Iris looked around the break room to be sure Eddie was alone before walking inside, heading over to him. Despite everyone at the precinct knowing she and Eddie was a thing, she didn't want to rock the boat, lest she was accused of only wanting to be sure that he was alright and that she didn't care about anyone else in the precinct. Truth be told, CCPD was like a second family to her; ever since she had been born, before her mother had left, she was always at the police station, seeing what there was to see and learning the ropes. No one else had been as excited as the CCPD when she announced she wanted to become a police officer. And no one else had been as disappointed when she, instead, had to tell them she was going to be going to grad school instead, all because Joe thought it was too dangerous.<p>

But she was starting to really enjoy what she was doing with her knowledge from her journalism classes as well as the Streak sightings. Enough so she now saw it as blessing in disguise. Eddie spotted Iris heading towards her and smiled at her, she beamed in reply as she said, "Wasn't Zumba fun this morning?" Standing on her tiptoes she gave him a quick kiss then stepped back, noticing that his smile, which had been a genuine one only moments before, transformed into a grimace.

"Yeah, it was totally fun," Eddie said unconvincingly. "I didn't think twisting by body into a pretzel could _be _any more enjoyable." He replaced the coffee pot back onto the holder and turned to his girlfriend. "Not even beating out Kurisky at the gun range." He brought his coffee mug to his lips, taking in a long sip of coffee.

Iris rolled her eyes and shoved her boyfriend on the shoulder. "You're such a liar." She poked him again for extra measure before giving him a flirty smile. "And a bad one at that."

"I'm sorry, Iris, but guys aren't supposed to be able to move their bodies like that," Eddie defended himself.

"Oh yeah? Then what about male gold medalists for gymnastics?"

"I thought about that, and I've come to the conclusion that they're aliens."

"Geez, you're starting to sound like Barry, believing in the impossible." Iris crossed her arms, now smiling at a distant memory. "You should've seen it. Once he was so sure he had seen a UFO that he made me stay up late for a week with a stupid little telescope pointed towards the sky, jumping every time a cloud passed over the moon. If it wasn't so cute it would've totally sucked." She laughed quietly to herself and, when noticing Eddie was giving her a funny look, she calmed down. "What?"

"Nothing." Eddie took another sip of his coffee, hoping to avoid the conversation.

"Eddie, I can see it in your face," Iris insisted. "There's something you're not saying."

"It's just…Joe and I went over to Barry's apartment to get him to check out a case, since we had to work overtime," Eddie explained. Iris nodded for him to continue. "The bomb." He didn't notice Iris stiffen beside him, eyes shifting to the side. "And I was looking around his apartment as he was getting ready and there were a lot of pictures of you two."

"Really?"

Not that Iris hadn't known that. She had been to Barry's apartment enough times that it was like her own home away from home. Well…when she wasn't at Eddie's place, which was weird in itself. Barry's apartment felt warm and inviting to her every time she stepped over the threshold, as if it were where she was supposed to be. But at Eddie's place it always felt awkward, like she _wasn't _supposed to be there and was just sneaking behind Eddie's back. _Granted, _she reminded herself. _For a while I did sneak around behind Dad's back. _But it was still like every time she spent the night, every time they made out or even cuddled she didn't feel one hundred percent safe, like she was _supposed _to be there.

She loved Eddie dearly, it was one of the first good relationships she ever had as the ones before then had fizzled out or ended badly, and she didn't want to mess it up any more than she already did when she first suggested they keep their relationship a secret. Ever since Joe found out about them, things had gotten better, but there was still that tiny part of her that didn't feel completely there.

"Yeah, lining the walls and everything," Eddie continued. He paused. "I guess I just never understood how close you two really were. I mean, there are best friends and then there's…you and Barry."

"Well, Barry's more than my best friend," Iris said honestly. "He's my family. I don't know what I'd do without him." She moved closer to Eddie and placed her hands on his cheeks. "Or you either." She leaned in and gave him a long kiss.

Eddie placed his coffee mug aside and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her back. The two were interrupted by the sound of an awkward cough behind them and Iris turned around to see Barry hovering in the doorway, eyes downcast.

"Yeah, I, uh…I was just going to get some coffee," he explained.

"Hey Bare," Eddie greeted him.

Barry gave a pained smiled in reply. "Hey…Eddie."

Iris, on the other hand, placed her hands on her hips as she stalked over to her best friend. "You were going to drink this pathetic excuse for a coffee when I bring you a great cup of coffee from Jitters every day?"

"I was running late," Barry explained. "I didn't think you'd remember." He then trailed off realizing how he may have just made the situation bad for himself considering Eddie. "Not that I expect you to do it for me every day. Or that it's all I look forward to, but that, I mean, it really is better than what they have here. The stuff is nasty."

Eddie blinked once. "I…made the coffee this morning."

_Good going, Allen. _Barry nearly laughed out loud at the situation. "And I'm sure it's great, Eddie…thanks."

"Relax, Barry, I was just kidding," Iris reassured him, looping her arm through his and patting his forearm. "Just giving you a hard time. I had a feeling you'd be late, anyway. I mean, you're not exactly Mr. Punctual."

Barry glared at her.

"Speaking of hard times, I need you to bring your friend Cadence in to CCPD as soon as you get the chance," Eddie said to Barry, immediately grabbing the brunette's attention with a snap of his head. "She needs to fill out an incident report and answer a few more questions to see if we can find the ring-leader and why they had wanted to take her brother."

"What?" Iris's eyes widened as she looked back and forth from her boyfriend to her best friend. "He was taken?" Eddie explained the whole story and Iris frowned, pursing her lips. "How come no one told me?! She didn't say anything. Ugh, when am I going to get perks from this place?"

"Well, you don't get shot at every time you walk out the door, so I'd say that's a perk," Barry pointed out. Now Iris glared at him and he held his hands up defensively. "Just a joke." He turned his attention back to Eddie once more. "Do you really need her to come in? I didn't think there was any other information that we could get."

The blond's eyes narrowed slightly as he placed his hands on his hips. The movement caused his jacket to spread apart, showing off the handcuffs, taser, and pistol that were attached to his hip. "Yeah, well, there are a few more leads that we can get out of Michael Bloom's file and if we get absolutely everything we can out of her. We don't want to leave any stone unturned."

_We don't want you to get too close to STAR Labs either, _Barry thought, reminding of how many times he had to make an excuse about being late or scatterbrained at work because of being The Flash. He wasn't sure how anyone at STAR Labs; Wells, Cisco, or Caitlin continued to make excuses to work there if most of the world thought the organization had become defunct. However, he didn't say any of that out loud, choosing instead to say, "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks."

"There you are." The three turned as Joe walked into the break room, staring hard at his daughter, who appeared bewildered. "What were you doing at the crime scene yesterday?" Iris opened her mouth to protest, and then stopped when Joe continued, "there were plenty of officers there that had seen you, don't try to deny it."

"Wait, you were _there _last night?" Eddie demanded, turning to his girlfriend. "Don't you know how dangerous that was?"

"Yes, I know." Iris hung her head as she walked to the other side of the room, clasping her hands together. She needed some space to herself; to be sure she wouldn't feel trapped as the conversation went on. Things weren't going to go well. "But…I had to see for sure. And I saw him!"

"Saw who?" Eddie demanded.

"The Streak!"

Barry grimaced as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Joe whip his head around and burn holes in the side of his head with his harsh stare. _I should've known this was going to come back to haunt me. I should've said something to Joe first._

"The Streak?" Joe repeated after taking a deep breath. "Baby…the Streak isn't real."

"I _saw _him!" Iris insisted. She chewed her lower lip. "I looked directly at him, and I saw him…but he wasn't alone. There was someone with him too. I think there are two people who are trying to save Central City, but the Streak has always been the one that wants to help the most, I can tell!" She paused. "I've been writing about him for my blog. There's something going on around Central City and I want to get to the bottom of it, to the bottom of him."

Barry choked and turned it into a cough as a naughty image appeared in his head. It wasn't the time to think about that, but her choice of words hadn't been the greatest and he couldn't help himself. Eddie, sensing the distress of his girlfriend's best friend, handed over his mug of coffee and the metahuman quickly downed it. At least it gave him a chance to think about it.

"I mean, you were drinking last night, Iris, all of us were," Barry said. He motioned to Eddie, who nodded in agreement. "It might not have even been the real thing."

"I wasn't drunk, Barry Allen," Iris snapped back.

"Mm, that's true." Eddie scratched the back of his head. "She came over later and I can always tell when she's drunk because she…" he trailed off, looking over at Joe, who was now giving him a death glare. "I-I mean…that's not really important to talk about right now." Joe nodded. "And, if this really is true, you said you saw him, what does he look like?"

Iris sighed in exasperation before shaking her head. How could the three most important men in her life not believe a word she had to say? "I _did _see him and I only say his face for a second, he wears a mask. But,"—she couldn't help the smile that came to her face—"I think he smiled at me."

"Probably because someone saw him and he realized he might've been finally getting a 'thanks' for a thankless job," Barry commented. "Theoretically. And besides, if he was wearing a mask, have you even though that he might not want anyone to know who he really is? I mean, that's the point of a mask, right? And secondly, it can't really be that important to you. I mean, you don't even put your name to it."

Iris stared at him in surprise for a long moment before a hard tone came to her voice. "I've listened you to talk about your mother and father and how there was a man in yellow that killed her, and I listened about aliens and UFOs and other life out there and _this _is the thing you don't believe?"

"Iris, I'm trying to be supportive—"

"If you were being supportive, Barry, then I wouldn't feel like you're belittling me right now!" Iris snapped. She gazed at him with confusion. "You're my best friend, how can you do this?"

"What's important is that you need to stop putting yourself in harm's way," Eddie interrupted. "You can't keep running around and doing whatever you want because you think you're invincible."

"Dad," Iris tried to plead with her father but he raised his hands up defensively, as if to say 'leave me out of this'. Iris sighed heavily and went to continue but stopped when she spotted Captain Singh now leaning in the doorway of the break room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but something's come up," he said quickly. "And General Eiling needs to speak with you Detective West, Detective Thawne." The four exchanged glances and left the break room, going out to the main floor of CCPD. They found General Eiling waiting patiently for them, standing in a military pose. Iris hung back as Barry, Eddie, and Joe continued forward.

"General Eiling," Joe said formally. "I'm Detective West." He shook the man's hand before gesturing towards the blond. "This is my partner Detective Thawne. What can we help you with?"

The corners of his lips lifting, General Eiling shook Joe's hand. "As you know, earlier we've taken over the case of the bombing investigations. But we need everything you have to be sure we have every scrap of information that'll help us with our investigation," he explained. Joe and Eddie exchanged a glance and he continued. "To an untrained eye this will seem like a civilian case, but I happen to know, and am unfortunate to report, that the suspect is one of ours." He lowered his chin, letting out a quiet breath. "So we'll need _everything _that you have ASAP." His eyes moved over to Barry. "Including that folder you're holding there. Looks to me that it's something that came from the crime scene."

Joe, Eddie, and Barry exchanged a glance as Captain Singh ordered them to hand over every piece of information they had managed to collect since the day before. There was nothing else they could take from Barry; they already had the folder from the day before. Then Barry understood. _They know its Bette. They're just trying to turn over every rock to make sure they can keep an eye on her. And we just helped him do it._

"Nice doing business with you," General Eiling said in his low, gravelly voice. Barry stepped aside and watched as General Eiling and his army men were led out by Captain Singh. There was silence around the group as they watched General Eiling walk away.

"Can they do that?" Eddie asked.

Joe sighed and nodded. "We have no choice." Reaching out, he patted Eddie on the shoulder. "C'mon, we have some work to do." He caught Barry's eye and the two walked to their offices to get to work.

Barry turned back to Iris, who had started to turn away. He hurried over and caught her arm, briefly catching glimpse of the disappointment on her face. "Iris—"

"How could you, Bare?" She turned back to him, eyes flashing with anger. "I already had to defend myself against Dad and Eddie, but against you, too? I've _always _been there for you and you're just going to turn your back on me like that."

"I just don't want you to get hurt, Iris," Barry insisted. "I mean…things are already dangerous for you, your Dad being who he is….my job…and almost everyone in Central City knows who we are! If someone found out that you were writing about the Streak…if he has any enemies…something can happen to you. Don't you get that?" He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her right in the eyes. _Can't you tell what I'm trying to tell you? Can't you see that I'm not just worried about you? _"How do you think I'd feel if I was going to a crime scene and found out it was you?"

Iris tilted her head to the side, giving him a small smile. "I know how to take care of myself, Barry. Dad's made me take self-defense classes every year, remember? And if you've forgotten, I can beat you up, too." Barry cracked a smile. "But…it's really sweet that you care that much about me. I promise I'll be careful…but I can't promise that I'll stop writing about him. He's out there, Bare, and…he's one of the best things that's happened to this City." She smiled at him, suddenly feeling warm. "Apart from you of course."

She still couldn't bring herself to think about how she was when she thought she lost him...when he was still in that coma. It was too painful. He was here now and it was all it mattered.

Barry smiled bashfully.

"I promise I won't worry you about it anymore, alright? That's all I can do."

_It's better than nothing. _"All right." He gave her a quick hug, relaxing as she hugged him back just as tightly. "I have to get to work, I'll see you later?"

"You will."

Barry nodded and waited for her to leave the precinct before moving to leave. He stopped, blinking rapidly when he spotted his father standing in the doorway of CCPD headquarters, waving to him. But then a mailman passed in front of Barry, blocking his view of his father, Henry with a large box, and when he moved out of the way, Henry Allen was gone. Barry continued to stare at the spot for a moment before shaking his head, then hurrying out to STAR Labs. As soon as he arrived, he gave the new information to Caitlin, Cisco, and Wells, including that Iris had gotten a good look at his face.

"Barry," Caitlin scolded him. "You have to be more careful."

"I know!" Barry ran his hands over his face. "I just…I didn't think it'd be such a huge problem. I figured she wouldn't get so…excited about it."

Cisco snorted. "Then you clearly don't know Iris a well as you thought you did." Barry glared at him and Cisco immediately crammed a lollipop into his mouth, turning to the computer screen by him. "But if what you said is true, that means that Bette is in even more trouble than we already thought."

"Try and get a lock on her," Harrison instructed. "We can't have Eiling find her. Who knows what he'll do once he catches up to her once more." His eyes flashed as he lowered his chin to his hands. "I don't want to think about what that man will do to her, he can be very persuasive when he wants to be. And he always gets his way."

Now frowning in concern, Cisco leaned forward and started to work harder at the computer. "I won't let that happen," he murmured. Caitlin walked up behind him, watching his progress. "Got her!" He leaned back. "She's last spotted in Inglewood."

"That's where Dr. Harold Hadley's office is," Caitlin added. She crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back, looking over at Barry and Wells. "He was the one that had done the surgeries on her when she got back to the states." She tapped Cisco on the shoulder. "Get Cadence over here as quickly as you can." She then turned to Barry. "Run, Barry."

He was out of STAR Labs in seconds, blowing her hair out of her face.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Miss. Snow," Harrison said.

* * *

><p><em>This is it, Bette. No turning back now.<em>

Bette crossed her arms as she walked into Harold Hadley's office in the Center for Inflicted Wounds. She had been there too many times before and was aware of the hours that the doctor worked there. She knew he was to be alone that time of night and as she sauntered into the room and the aging man looked up at her, she saw nothing but surprise.

He hadn't expected anyone to be around. That was exactly what she needed. Dr. Hadley reacted with surprise, shuffling the papers on his desk as he moved backwards. "S-sergeant Sans Souci," he stammered.

"You remember me," Bette ground out, walking closer to his desk. "Good. Because I remember you, doctor. I remember waking up from a coma and you cutting me open."

"I was only trying to ease your condition," Dr. Hadley protested. "A condition you couldn't control!"

"You did this to me!" Bette spat. "You and Eiling." She started to stalk towards Dr. Hadley, bringing up her hands, running her fingertips together. No matter that she was able to turn anything into an explosive when touching it; she couldn't ever do it to herself. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to turn into an explosive that she had turned so many other innocent people into. Her numerous suicide attempts were what told her that she needed to get back at Hadley and Eiling. Now she was going to blow one half of her problems away.

All of a sudden there was a gust of wind that whipped her hair around and she sensed a presence behind her. Turning around, she spotted the man in the red suit once more. She stared at him, eyes wide as she took him in. Hadn't she blown him up before? His suit? How had he managed to get back to her? How did he find her? The thoughts raced through her head didn't get a chance to become vocalized as there was the sudden sound of breaking glass and a searing pain in her shoulder that caused her to keel over and crash to the floor.

She looked up at the man in the suit and Hadley as the two stood up, looking down at her. It took only a few seconds for her to register what had happened. _Eiling. He found me. _

"You okay?" The man in the red suit was suddenly at her side. "Look, I can get you out of here and to a place that'll help you. I can help you understand what happened to you?"

Struggling to push herself up, Bette looked at him suspiciously. "How?"

"Because the same thing happened to me."

Another window broke and Bette looked over, watching as a flash bomb bounced across Hadley's desk. The man in the red suit grabbed onto Bette and zoomed out of the office. She lay dangled in his arms, hands barely grazing the ground that set of mini explosions as they went along. Barry would've had a better grip on her if it weren't for the fact that she still had the opportunity to completely blow him to bits if she had the opportunity.

However, the two arrived at STAR Labs within a matter of seconds, not to the surprise of Caitlin, Wells, Cisco, and Cadence, who had been waiting patiently for him. As soon as he arrived and set Bette down, Barry took off his suit and turned back to his normal clothes as Caitlin, Cisco, and Wells approached her.

"I'm Dr. Snow," Caitlin introduced herself, placing a delicate hand on her chest. She had to remind herself not to extend her hand for a handshake lest she wanted a bloody stump leftover. "This is Dr. Harrison Wells." The older man nodded. "And this,"—she paused, motioning to Cisco who was quite obviously drooling. "Cisco Ramone."

"Hi." Bette nodded back. Her eyes shifted over towards Cadence and rose in surprise then lowered in confusion. She gently cocked her head as if to ask 'what are you doing here' but Cadence shook her head in response, silently warning her not to say anything before introducing herself, to which Bette introduced herself as well. She then turned back to Barry. "You said the same thing happened to you…what happened?"

Wells rolled towards Bette. "Well, unlike Cadence, our little fire starter—or fire bug if you will—you and Barry were struck by the wave of energy that came to be after the explosion of the particle accelerator. There was a wave right after the detonation that exposed the residents of Central City to an unquantifiable energy. One of those people was you, Bette, as you were in Central City ten months ago."

Bette listened carefully to what Wells had to say then turned her gaze over to Cadence. "What about you?" She asked. "How'd you get your abilities?"

"I had gotten sick, when I was eight," Cadence explained. "Sick enough to be put into the hospital, I had a very high fever that, for some reason, didn't kill me though was quite close to brain damage. Somehow, while I was fighting off that fever, I got my powers."

"So you weren't here when the Particle Accelerator blew?"

"No."

Bette nodded, lowering her head. She looked down at her hands as if they were detached. And in many ways they were, they hadn't been hers for a long time and she missed it. She missed the touch of another's hand, a featherlike trail against her lover's cheek, the way the warmth of body head warmed her. Now she couldn't touch anyone in fear that she would send their innards all over the room in a matter of seconds. She wasn't ever going to know the feeling of it ever again.

Caitlin must've noticed her plight once she arrived, for she suddenly walked back into the room, carrying a pair of gloves. Passing the metahuman a gentle smile, she handed them over before moving to step back with her colleagues.

Bette looked down at the gloves for a long time before sliding them over her hands. _This is it Bette, this is what you've been reduced to. A pair of gloves. _Anger quickly flashed through her as she flexed her fingers against the material. "I had just returned from Afghanistan. I was there defusing roadside bombs and….shrapnel ripped through me. I was shipped back to the states and recovered on base. And the next thing I know, I became the thing that almost killed me. And Eiling's favorite new lab rat."

"The dark matter must've combined with the bomb particulate inside your body," Caitlin reasoned, to which Harrison gave her a nod filled with pride.

"I thought Eiling did this to me."

Harrison gave a short bark of laughter. "Eiling isn't smart enough to create someone like you. He never has been and he never will be. But clever enough to see your value, I'll give him that. That was something he's always been able to see, how much of an asset someone or something will be to him."

"Do you know of any others that have been changed?"

There was a brief pause around the room. "There've been a few," Caitlin said. "Barry and Cadence being some of the…newer ones we've found."

"But none of them have looked as good as you," Cisco said with a charming smile.

Bette glanced over at him, appearing not to take his compliment to heart. But then her face softened and she gave him a small smile. "Thank you," she said, causing him to smile wider. Then that haunted look came to her face once more and she turned away from Cisco, as if not registering what she had done before.

Barry chuckled to himself, moving a hand up to cover his face. He thought _he _had some bad lines or was just plain…weird around girls, but that took the cake. As the awkward silence stretched on, Barry locked eyes with Cadence and she looked towards the ceiling, cheeks bulging as she did her best not to crack up laughing as well.

"I'm sorry, "Cisco quickly corrected himself. "That was in appropriate."

Bette frowned and then, once again, her face softened. "It's all right, Cisco."

Cisco beamed.

Caitlin quickly got to her feet and moved towards Bette's side, whose face turned back to an undetectable expression. She moved to place her hand on the redhead's shoulder, stopping before making contact. That wasn't such a good idea. Instead, she suggested that they look Bette over and the two went into an enclosed area that was the medicine wing. Barry and Cadence stood aside and watched as Caitlin took all of the information that she could from Bette, taking as many tests as possible. As the readings came back up on the computer screens, Wells and Cisco looked them over.

"Her cellular structure is unlike anything I've ever seen," Wells murmured, watching as squiggles and blips moved across his computer screen.

"Nitrogen levels are off the charts," Cisco agreed. He let out a low whistle, gently shaking his head. "Man, just think of what Cadence's readings would look like. We could do a lot of progress with that information."

Affronted, Cadence crossed her arms. "Excuse me for being claustrophobic. If you had actually warned me about it first, I wouldn't have tried to turn it into a giant bonfire."

"In our defense we _did _say we'd be doing a MRI and CAT scan."

"Cisco, you were able to make a suit that can withstand Barry's speed and friction, I'd think you could make some sort of MRI machine or app in that time."

Cisco started to protest against the fire metahuman, who smirked as he brought his hand to his chin and through about it. "I don't know why I didn't think of that! Putting it as an app would make it much easier to check out concussions with athletes and will be at the press of a finger, thus increasing the production of those in hospitals." He started to pat himself for his phone. "I've got to write this down."

Barry chuckled. "One test at a time, Cisco. Let's see what's up with Bette first." He let out a weary breath as he watched the woman inside the enclosed medicinal chamber. "Do you think we can help her?" Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Cadence whip her head around and look at him curiously before dropping her gaze.

"To be able to answer that question we must first know what it is that makes her tick," Harrison pointed out. "And to understand that, we have to study her in action."

"You want her to blow stuff up? Awesome!"

Cadence smiled at Cisco's enthusiasm. He reminded her of Brady in many ways, apart from the fact that if he had been as smart as Cisco was, he probably would've driven her up the wall with all of his experiment at an early age. "It gets kind of boring after the fourth or fifth time you blow something up," she said with a light shrug. "Even if it's an accident."

Turning to her with a disappointed pout, Cisco asked "really?"

Shaking her head, Cadence let out a laugh. "No! It's actually kinda cool. Let me just say that my interest in science, which dwindled exponentially in high school, had increased after the first time." She then turned to Wells. "What do you think you'll find once you test my abilities?" She asked him. "I mean, the big question here is what is it that made me become a metahuman in the first place if I wasn't affected by the particle accelerator explosion."

Wells turned to her, taking off his glasses. "Please don't underestimate yourself, Cadence. That is a _million_ dollar question."

"Yeah, and what was it that those guys that took Brady wanted?" Barry added. "It's possible that they were aware of your abilities and were using him as collateral, maybe for their own personal gain? Is it possible that he could develop powers as well?"

"I hope not," Cadence said honestly.

Wells listened to the concern of both metahumans with a thoughtful expression. "I can honestly say that I doubt it's anything like Eiling is doing to Bette, or else Cadence, more likely than not, would've been caught by now." Barry frowned. "But as it is, we _do _need to know what it is that you're capable of, Cadence, and to see how you're helpful to our cause."

"She's already helped a lot," Barry quickly defended her. "With that electromagnetic metahuman and with the explosion the other day."

"Yes, but that was in a controlled area, we need to see what would happen if there's a chance that she would have to keep herself from being killed. It's like when you encountered Bette in the first place, or Clyde, they were doing their best to damage you."

"I wouldn't hurt Barry like that, though," Cadence protested.

"I didn't say you would, just that we need to see what would happen."

She nodded and exchanged a glance with Barry, face softening into a sympathetic glance. He returned it and glanced back into the medicinal chamber, frowning when he noticed Caitlin leaning over Bette's arm then quickly backed away. "What's going on?"

"Looks like she found something," Cadence remarked. "Maybe the bullet's still inside her? You said she was shot, right?"

Bette's voice came through the speakers attached to the chamber. "It's a tracker."

All of a sudden there was a beeping sound and Cisco pulled up video surveillance of a graying man in an elevator shaft with army men standing by him. "It's Eiling," Harrison said. He backed away from the control panel. "Get Bette out of here. I'll deal with Eiling." He waited for his colleagues to heed his orders before going to address Eiling himself.

Harrison waited patiently in his chair, listening as the footsteps neared him. Oh how he wish he could do to Eiling what he had done with Stagg. Just stand up in his chair, revel in the expression of surprise that appeared on the man's face, and stab him in the chest. Well placed so that he bled out in a matter of moment. But it wasn't the right time. It wasn't the right _space _to reveal his secret. He kept it closely guarded, doing his best to quell the automatic impulse to leap to his feet with each moment of injustice around STAR Labs and still, he remained seated. Even with a hint of a welcoming smile on his face when Eiling met him at the main floor.

"To what do I owe this visit?" Harrison asked with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "I didn't have enough time to clean up the place. I hope the remnants of the particle accelerator explosion don't bother you."

General Eiling let out a low, mocking chuckle. "You don't have to clean up for me. I don't mind the mess." His eyes moved around the room. The main room may have been renovated, but the outside of the labs certainly didn't appear so. He knew Wells; the scientist was doing a great job at hiding all of the problems they had. "Oh how the mighty have fallen," Eiling replied. "Tell me, what does one do when he's the cause of so many deaths?"

"He evolves…adapts…becomes focused on turning around one's fortune and continuing to better himself from there." Harrison laid his hands in his lap an Eiling slowly smiled and Harrison cocked up his right eyebrow in return. The General didn't scare him one bit, he was going to stand his ground on this one; metaphorically speaking.

"You've always been an idealist, Wells," Eiling remarked. "I've always liked that about you."

Whether it was supposed to cause Harrison to put his defenses down, Wells didn't fall for it. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned towards the General, his reflection placed on the lenses of his glasses. "What do you want?"

"Where's my asset?" General Eiling demanded.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Harrison cocked his head to the side. "I have plenty of assets here. Some more valuable than others, but they're all equally an asset."

"We tracked her here, Harrison. Turn her over to me before your see the rest of your precious palace crumble."

Harrison continued to smile as he regarded Wade Eiling. Even as he spoke, a quiet, taunting "Wade, Wade, Wade" he could see that the man meant business and wouldn't be one that was gotten rid of so easily. Rather than continuing to speak, he watched as Eiling searched through the confines of STAR Labs. And even then, when he knew Eiling wouldn't find anything, he didn't move a muscle.

For if he did, it would ruin everything he was working for.

* * *

><p>Cadence cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders as she waited for Bette to choose a Frisbee off of the table beside her. Her dark hair was blown back behind her ears as the wind blew around the Air Field they were practicing at. As Barry had told her, it was where STAR Labs has researched his abilities, the first time he had seen how fast he could go.<p>

_Fitting it'd be the place where Bette and I would be practicing, _she thought. Placing her hands on her hips, she watched as Bette picked up a disc and threw it towards the sky. It arched upwards and around seconds before it blew up, leaving a trail of purple smoke to dissipate in its wake.

Bette turned back towards Cisco and Caitlin waiting for her results.

"427 KPAs her trilateral rating is around 45, that's like any plastique," Cisco remarked. The expression on his face suddenly turned to one of awe. "Plastique! I did it on the first try!"

"Technically you did it with Flash Fire, too," Barry remarked, tilting his head in Cadence's direction, to which the fire metahuman rolled her eyes to.

"Which I refuse to go by," she pointed out.

"It's better than Glow Stick."

Cadence shoved Barry on the arm. "Not by much," she remarked. She teleported over to the table in a puff of smoke, picked up a Frisbee, and teleported back to her original position. She turned back to Cisco and Caitlin, who had gotten their equipment set up once more. "Are you ready?" They nodded and waited for her to continue. She then addressed Barry and Bette. "You might want to stand back; it's going to get pretty hot." She threw the Frisbee as high into the air as she could then thrust her arms out. A stream of fire so hot it was white shot up towards the Frisbee.

As she lowered her arms, extinguishing the flames, drips of burning plastic fell to the ground. There was nothing left of the puddle than a few drips of molten plastic.

"Wow, thermal temperatures read at over 3000 degrees," Caitlin remarked.

"That's, like, enough to burn _anything_," Cisco cried. "Even _nothing_." He pressed his palms together then looked towards the sky. "Thank you for giving me _such_ a cool life!"

Cadence laughed and shook out her hands, making sure she put out the fire all the way. She had made that mistake before and wasn't going to do it again. Then, falling into step, in-between Barry and Bette, the three started off down the tarmac.

"Down range insurgence started booby trapping cars," Bette said after a few moments of the three walking in comfortable silence. "For the rest of my tour I was terrified t touch another vehicle. Now, I'm going to spend the rest of my life afraid to touch another human being."

"I know the feeling." Cadence remark caused the three to come to a stop. "When I first learned of my abilities, I couldn't control it. Nearly anything I touch burst into flames." She gave a humorless chuckle. "It got to the point where we constantly had to have fire extinguishers around just in case. I was afraid to touch another person, thinking I was going to burn them."

Bette regarded her for a long moment. "Have they tried to help you?"

Cadence looked back at her then nodded. "Yeah," she said quietly.

Then Bette looked over at Barry. "Yeah—they've helped me learn how to use my powers. Not reverse them."

"But if they _could_,"—Bette looked back and forth between Barry and Cadence. "Would you?"

"A friend told me I was given my speed for a reason that I was chosen. I don't know if I believe that, but…I always wanted to help people. Now I can."

"And for me," Cadence spoke up. "While I was so afraid of burning other people, I've found that if I touch someone…I can heal them." Her eyes lit up a little as she continued, speaking enthusiastically. "It helped me realize that my dream of becoming a pediatrician could really work out! I'd be able to make sure that kids are growing okay and…I'd be helping them if they ever got hurt. I don't think I'd ever give up my powers if I got the chance."

"And you can do the same thing," Barry added. "You can join us; join the team and help us out."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Turning, the three metahumans watched as Harrison, Cisco, and Caitlin walked over. Caitlin was chewing her lower lip, looking as if she were about to deliver bad news. Harrison was the one that spoke. "Dr. Snow has gotten some information back and I'm afraid that the shrapnel in your body has fused to you on a cellular level. Adding you to the team…well…it puts everyone at risk."

"From who?" Barry demanded. "Eiling?"

"Eiling is a dangerous man, Barry; we don't want him as an enemy."

"You don't want a lot of people as enemies, Wells, but it's kind of late for that, don't you think?" Cadence shot back. Wells shot her a sharp look and she returned it with one of her own. "I may be speaking out of turn here, but this isn't something that you should give up on so easily. How do we know that Bette can't help?"

"How do we know that _you _can't help?" Harrison shot back.

Cadence faltered.

"It's okay," Bette interrupted. She had been hanging her head, listening as everyone spoke around her. "I've…dealt with this for so long on my own, I can do it again." She turned on her heel and started to leave the air field, ignoring the calls from Cisco and Barry. It wasn't until she heard the sound of electronic wheels behind her that she finally stopped. Turning, she watched as Harrison came to a stop in front of her, leaving the rest of STAR Labs behind.

The two looked at each other for a long moment before Harrison spoke.

"Change is hard," He said warmly. "The same accident that changed you changed me as well. It put me in this wheelchair." Bette opened her mouth and Harrison continued, holding up his hand to stop her. "I didn't tell you the story to garner sympathy from you, but to illustrate my point."

Now Bette regarded him suspiciously. What did this man want? He clearly had something he wanted from her. Why else would he have willingly taken her into STAR Labs, to look at her energy levels and see what she could do if there wasn't something he wanted. "What's that?"

"That I would do anything to get back what I lost." He nodded towards her. "As would you." He cleared his throat. "That being the case, I'm sure that you'd like to get back at General Eiling. He took your life from you; he took your freedom from you and will continue to attack it until you agree to work with him. He _will not _stop until it gets to that point. And you know the only way you can do it." Harrison's blue eyes burned into hers with cold malice. "You need to kill him. You _want _to kill him."

Bette's jaw dropped slightly.

"It's the only way…and you know it."

Turning away, Bette walked from the air field, her long hair billowing behind her as she took her long steps. Soon she was out of sight. "Where's she going?" Cisco asked, looking crushed. "We didn't get to finish everything. We still have more tests to do."

Harrison turned back to Cisco and lifted a hand; he started to say something, but dropped it once more. "I couldn't stop her," he said finally. Caitlin's eyebrows furrowed together.

"What do you mean you couldn't stop her?"

"After hearing what Eiling had done…how it was irreversible…?" Harrison trailed off, turning away as if it pained him to even think about it. The insulation was immediately realized upon the group, causing Harrison to smile to himself.

"She's going after him," Barry realized. "Maybe to turn herself in…to trick him…to get revenge? Either way, she's going to see him."

Cisco's face was suddenly filled with fury and desperation. "She—she can't do that, can she? Why would she go back and do that? We could've figured something out! It's not like this was a death sentence."

"To her, it may very well have been," Cadence pointed out.

"We don't have time, you have to stop her," Caitlin said. "You guys get going and we'll go to STAR Labs." She went over to Harrison and grabbed the handles of his wheelchair, pushing him forward, knowing that his motorized power would take too long for him to go. Cisco went back and started to pack up the STAR Labs equipment while Barry and Cadence disappeared in a gust of wind and a flash of smoke.

* * *

><p>Bette held her chin high as she watched the army vehicles come to a stop in front of her by the water front. It had been so easy to get him to come out to meet her, a lot easier than she thought it had been. The conversation lasted only a few seconds and he had fallen into her trap. All she had to do was say she had finally stopped wanting to run away, that she had been tired and knew he was doing what was right for everyone.<p>

_And now he's really going to pay the price for his crimes…for what he did to me…_Bette steeled herself, getting herself ready for the incoming confrontation. "I'm ready to give myself up," Bette called as Eiling got out of his tank.

Eiling looked at her with a glare. Then the glare faded and he gave an amused smile. "Oh, I highly doubt that." He placed his hands behind his back as the soldiers around him started to lift their guns, pointing it towards her. "Stand down soldier, you're going to come with us whether you like it or not."

"Then I'm not going without a fight!" Bette declared. She threw her hands forward and small, purple balls of explosive energy launched out of her hands and towards the army. Eiling immediately jumped back out of the way as the balls exploded, sending fire and soot in all directions. Bette threw out another barrage of explosives as the group ducked behind their jeeps. "And not before I get rid of you." Holding her hand out, she started towards Eiling, picking up speed as she went before she started running.

Cadence and Barry, suited up, arrived just in time to appear in front of Bette, stopping her from attacking Eiling further. Cadence turned towards Eiling and the army men that stood around him and focused hard on the guns that were in their hands as Barry went over to Bette. Beams of fire burst forth from her hands and landed on Eiling's gun, turning it a burning red in the process. Eiling let out a scream of fury and pain and dropped the gun onto the ground. Cadence then turned to the army men around her and lashed out her foot, catching an army man in the face before rolling into a cartwheel and striking two others before tucking herself into a somersault, rolling towards the last army man. She uncurled herself from the somersault and lifted her feet into the chin of another army man, cracking his head back and he slowly keeled over to the floor.

Cadence flipped over to Eiling and kicked him in the side for good measure.

Barry grabbed onto Bette's shoulders, who looked at him in confusion, it being the second time seeing him in his suit, before glancing over at Eiling. "What are you—?"

"This isn't what a soldier does," Barry said to her, looking her right in the eye. "It doesn't mean that you're a murderer. It doesn't mean that you come in to get revenge on all of those that wronged you. Eiling isn't your enemy, not in the way you think he is."

"You don't know what he's done!" Bette snapped.

"I know he's not someone that anyone can trust," Barry interrupted. "I know he has his reasons for you to want to inflict as much pain upon him as you can. But no one deserves to die. Not like this."

As soon as the words came from his mouth, there was a cracking sound that caused Cadence and Barry to jump. They turned to find the source of the sound, and spotted Eiling lying on the ground, now holding onto a cool gun. Turning back, the metahumans spotted Bette laying on the ground, gasping for air, a red stain blooming across her chest.

"Bette!" Barry cried, kneeling down beside her. He gently cradled her head in his hands. "You're going to be ok." Even then, he knew from seeing the pain in her eyes, seeing how shallow her breaths were coming, she wasn't going to make it. No matter how fast Cadence could heal her, the placement of the bullet was too pinpoint, hitting her directly in the heart.

_"What happened?" _Cisco's voice came over his earpiece. _"Is Bette okay?"_

No. Cadence lowered her head, eyes behind her goggles training on the redhead, watching as Bette's breath continued to decrease until it was almost undetectable. Then, her head turned to the side and her gaze became glassy, mouth slightly dropping open. _No._ Barry could barely get the word out of his mouth. His hands shook as he smoothed Bette's hair off her forehead, wiping away the blood from her cheek. No….he found someone else like him, someone else that could understand what he was going through…someone that he was doing his best to turn from seeing the bad side of life. He already had Cadence as someone to talk to, who understood him, but finding more metahumans…

And now she had been gunned down in cold blood.

"No!" The word came out in a cry of fury, hands shaking. He lowered his head, tears coming to his eyes. Why? Why did everyone around him have to leave him? First his mother and father and now…a bright glow drew his eyes back to Bette. Her skin started to illuminate in a light purple glow. He brought his hand up to his ear piece. "Guys, something's happening. She's glowing."

"She's gonna detonate," Cadence said. "And if she can create explosions big enough to blow a hole the size of California through an office building just by touching something, who knows what'll happen when her whole body goes up in flames."

_"Barry, the detonation is gonna be too great for the city to handle,"_ Caitlin said voice tight with concern. _"You have to find a way to get her out of there, as far away as possible."_

"There's no time," Barry insisted, thinking of what Cadence had said. He had seen how Bette's powers worked as she had blown up his suit only seconds after touching it. If the power was gaining throughout her entire body, it wouldn't be much longer until the big bang.

Which was ironic as it was something he had studied for so long while he was in school, the creation of the universe. Now it was bound to happen in front of his eyes and wipe out half the city if they didn't make a decision in time. He glanced over the water front and the thought immediately popped into his head. The waterfront stretched as far as the city did and then some, the deepest depth at hundreds of feet. _If we can't get her away from the city in enough time, we can get her under it. _"I'll go on the water," he explained. "I can run on water, right?"

_"Theoretically,"_ Cisco pointed out. His voice was thick with despair. _"I mean, you proved that you could make it up the side of the building."_

_"But what if you don't get away from the blast in time?" _Caitlin cried_. _Her voice quivered._ "If you don't outrun it…"_

_"It's a risk they're going to have to take_," Harrison rationalized. _"You're going to have to go over 600 miles per hour, push yourself even harder than you've ever pushed yourself before."_

Barry nodded, mentally calculating how far he'd have to go for it to be a safe distance from the city. There wasn't enough time to figure it all out. He had the speed he needed to go, he just needed to get there. He looked over at Cadence, who had watched him throughout the exchange with STAR Labs.

"Cadence, c'mon!" Barry said.

Cadence started to shake her head, to warn him about the downside of her powers. That she could swim for only an hour at a time that she had to constantly drink water to keep hydrated as her body temperature burned through so much of it, that she could take showers for only minutes at a time. But that much water out there might hurt her more than she anticipated. But she didn't. She thought about what she could do to help, to keep the detonation from destroying the city.

She could absorb the fire energy that came from it. That'd probably cause the blast not to be as big and keep those in Central City from getting hurt by the resulting tidal wave.

"Okay," she agreed. "But you're gonna have to hold onto me, I don't think I can run on water."

Barry nodded and scooped Bette up into his arms before grabbing onto Cadence's left hand, holding it tightly in his. He took a deep breath before zooming across the surface of the water, moving at top speed. Cadence ran beside him, trying to keep up with his speed, her feet missed the steps on the water ever few minutes, but Barry moved fast enough so that she didn't completely fall over. After racing around a few buoys, Barry found he was far enough from the city and dropped Bette in the water as her whole body started to glow.

Still holding onto Cadence's hand, he moved his feet fast enough so that they didn't fall straight through the water. He started to run back, but Cadence stopped him with a hard tug at his arm then let go. She immediately fell into the water up to her neck.

"Cade, what are you doing?" Barry called, turning back to her. "We have to get out of here!"

"The resulting tidal wave, it might wreck havoc on the city, I can absorb some of it," she explained. She held out her hands and the water around her started to steam. Seeing it wasn't moving fast enough, she lowered her hands and concentrated on the water. As Barry watched, her eyes started to glow an orange-yellow and the water around her started to bubble, mixing in with the bright light that continued to glow underneath her.

Bette was about to blow and they had to get out of there.

"Cadence!" Barry shouted again.

"Just go! I can teleport if I need to!" Cadence's voice was rough with concentration. "Get out of here, Barry! I can handle this!" Barry hesitated, looking down at her and then back towards the city. "GO!" She turned and held a hand out towards him and a stream of fire shot into the water beneath his feet, sending him flying into the air. As he crashed back down towards the water, he flipped so that his feet landed on the water and he continued to run as quickly as he could.

Cadence moved both of her hands back to the water below and continued to concentrate, heating up the water around her. Electricity started to come from the fire in her hands, increasing the heat around her, and directed towards Bette. _C'mon, c'mon. _She thought. _The quicker you heat up the water, the quicker she'll_—

All of a sudden there was a loud explosion and Cadence found a strong wave of energy move through her seconds before she was blasted through the air. Arms and leg flailing, Cadence arched through the air and crashed back towards the water below her. Barry zipped in front of her, seconds before she fell back into the water, and grabbed onto her, continuing to run out of the waterfront as a large wave of water crested behind them. Holding on around Barry's neck, Cadence glanced back towards the wave and out to the shore.

"Good timing, Barry," she said to him.

Barry managed a half smile as he continued to run, the wall of water right on his heels. Finally, as it dissipated, he made it to shore and quickly climbed out of the water, placing Cadence on the ground. He dropped to his knees, trying to catch his breath. Cadence reached over and ruffled his hair.

"Good job, Barry," she said to him, kneeling down by his side, catching her breath.

"He murdered Bette right in front of me, Cade," he reminded her. He slowly shook his head. "Just like my Mom…I don't think I'll be okay."

* * *

><p>Cadence ran a hand through her hair, smoothing it back off her forehead as she walked into the park where a sort of winter carnival had been set up. She had to admit when Cisco first suggested that the four of them went to the carnival to blow off some steam she had thought it was a bad idea. Earlier that afternoon they had just watched someone that could've been a good friend of theirs pass away and now he wanted to hang out? In fact, she was sure he was worse off than Barry was, considering how much of a crush he had on Bette just by looking at her. But then she realized that she really did need it, time off to just get her mind off things.<p>

They all did.

_And all the work I did to try and get her to try things with him, too _Cadence thought. But it hadn't worked and things still turned out the way they were. _She probably thought the same things I did, that she was too weird to be able to date someone normal. I've made that mistake before_. Pushing the thoughts out of her head, Cadence glanced around the booths that were set up, bright lights twinkling against the dark sky as she walked along the path. She had just spotted a cotton candy booth and stopped, deciding whether or not to get some before meeting up with the others. After a few minutes of silent debate, she turned to continue to find them and ran into a girl she hadn't noticed coming her way.

The bag of popcorn she was holding immediately fell to the ground, spilling out and the girl fumbled to catch her drink before it spilled as well.

"Oh, sorry," Cadence quickly apologized. "I didn't see you there." She picked up the bag of popcorn and shook it around a little, glancing into it. She frowned seeing the dirt speckled inside. "I hope you like a dusty seasoning."

"I do, actually," the girl replied, her dark brown eyes lightning up. Her golden-blonde curls bounced as she took the bag back, standing out against her dark skin. "Especially the white cheddar flavor. That's my absolute favorite! But have you tried corn on the cob butter? It's amazing!"

"Well, unless you like taste of literal dust and _aren't _and asthmatic, I'd suggest you get a new bag," Cadence said and laughed lightly when the girl's nose wrinkled and she looked down into her bag. "Look, I'm the one that made you drop it. I can get you another one."

"That's alright! I've got some extra money. Thanks, though." The girl smiled and stepped around Cadence, hurrying over towards the booths behind her. Cadence smiled and continued on through the festival until she reached the face painting booth where she had agreed to met Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin. As she approached, she could see Barry still appeared as subdued as he did earlier in the day.

"Hey," Cadence greeted them. "What's up?" She looked over at Barry, tilting her head to eth side as she looked at him sympathetically. "How're you holding up, Bare?"

He briefly glanced at her but didn't verbally reply, choosing to shrug instead. Cisco reached out and placed a hand on Barry's shoulder, patting it. "Barry here just needs a good dose of carnival food, drinks, and puking. So I propose that we get the fast rides out of the way first and then pig out on junk food."

"Not me," Caitlin said, holding up her hands. "I hate roller coasters and fast rides. I think I'll just hang out at the booths. After what happened today, I could use a stiff drink." She smiled a little, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, you're not the only one," Barry agreed, speaking for the first time. "Which is great because I can't get drunk!"

"Do you want to say that any louder?" Cadence suggested, raising her eyebrows. "I don't think they heard you past Pluto." She then paused. "Look, I get it. When it comes to things like this, you're going to find that sooner or later you're going to lose people. Not necessarily in death, but because they can't handle the stress of keeping the secret, they start to act like you're a side-show more than anything else." She reached out, grabbing onto his wrist. "But for right now, try to take your mind off it."

"And nothing says 'empty headed' more than getting your brain slammed around," Cisco said. He rubbed his hands together gleefully, although the light didn't nearly reach his eyes. It was clear that he was just trying to curb his unhappiness as well. "So who's up for some fast rides? I'm ready to have my brain scrambled by the time the night's done."

"Not me," Caitlin said.

"Me neither," Cadence agreed. "I want to see if I can get some prizes. Brade was really upset that he couldn't come tonight and the last thing I need is for him to continue complaining when I come home with nothing." She motioned to Caitlin. "We'll just hang out around the games for a while and then meet up with you guys to get something to eat. Alright?"

"No problem," Cisco agreed.

"Whatever," Barry mumbled.

"C'mon man." Cisco patted Barry on the back. "Let's go see what we sort of trouble we can get into." He gave a short wave to the girls. "We'll catch you later."

"Bye." Caitlin waved back before crossing her arms over her chest, turning to the fire metahuman that stood beside her. "I really feel bad for them," she said. "I mean, Barry's already gone through so much with his parents and Cisco…he really liked her."

"I could tell," Cadence agreed. "You threatened to give him a lobotomy just because he flirted with her." She cast Caitlin a critical glance as the two started to walk down the row of booths one more. "Either that or you're just overprotective of him."

"Cisco's the youngest one out of all of us and I don't want him to feel left out. He's been my friend forever and I don't want to see him get hurt by anyone else." Caitlin looked at Cadence before lowering her voice. "I mean, there were always these really pretty scientists around, back when STAR Labs was still in production. But they were always so much older than him that he kept getting turned down. And it was really hard to see him constantly get turned down. I was just trying to keep him from getting hurt again."

"Oh, I getcha," Cadence agreed. "And then when she went boom…" she trailed off with a nod. "Well, it was a nice thing to do. He'll be fine. Like I said with Barry, this sort of thing will become common place, unfortunately."

"Thus my needing for a good drink," Caitlin agreed. She looked through the booths that the two passed before jumping as Cadence let out a loud squeal and started to violently slap the bioengineer's arm. "Ow! I bruise easily, you know!"

"Oh my God! It's a Moon Bounce!" Cadence shouted, pointing down the rows of booths. He then grabbed onto Caitlin's wrist and started to drag her, half running, over towards the inflatable object. "I haven't been on one of these since I was a kid! C'mon Caitlin, your heels are slowing us down! You know you really have to put a rest to those things."

"Well, excuse me for wanting to appear put together at all times of the day."

"No, I get that, but you can change it up a little. I mean those long skirts of yours are doing nothing to show off your legs. And don't get me started on those long-sleeved blouses." Cadence and Caitlin arrived at the moon bounce and the shorter woman quickly pulled off her shoes and socks. "Well c'mon! You can't bounce in those heels. You'll pop it!"

Caitlin regarded her, laughing lightly. "Wow. You really love this thing don't you?"

"It's, like, the best thing ever invented." Cadence crossed her arms and impatiently waited for Caitlin to pull off her heels. "C'mon, c'mon!"

"Wow, I bet you're a really great date," Caitlin remarked. "You don't deem to say 'no' to anything."

"I'll ignore the fact that you basically just called me a slut, to say I don't date." Cadence's voice turned flat. "I don't really see the point; I have too much stuff to do." She grabbed onto Caitlin's hand once more. "Like jump on a moon bounce!" She dragged Caitlin past the line of little kids, ignoring their sounds of protest, and climbed onto the moon bounce with the bioengineer behind her. Once inside, Cadence immediately let go of Caitlin's hand and started to jump up and down.

She did a few spins and a quick flip before realizing Caitlin wasn't moving. "Uh, I know you're, like, super smart, but the point of this is to jump up and down, not sit in one place like a bump on a log."

"I can't jump in a skirt like this," Caitlin protested. She was bending at the knees, trying to hold her skirt down as Cadence jumped around her. "I don't want to flash everyone."

"You should've thought of that before wearing a skirt to a carnival." Cadence continued to jump in a circle around Caitlin, almost taunting her. "C'mon, all of us are trying to take our minds off of what happened. I think you can stop being such a stick in the mud for one night."

Caitlin's mouth dropped open in indignation. "I'm _not_ a stick in the mud."

"So prove it."

Scowling, Caitlin reached up into her hair and found the bobby pin she had placed to hold her tresses back. Pulling it out, she pressed her skirt together between her legs and rolled it up so that it resembled shorts, then slid the bobby pin on to keep it in place. Now wearing a makeshift pair of shorts, Caitlin started to jump around the moon bounce with her friend.

Within moments the two were laughing breathlessly as the continued to jump around.

* * *

><p>Lucas flicked a lit cigarette out of his mouth and into the murky water below as the boat slowed to a stop. He turned to Breathtaker, who stood beside him, staring ahead at the skyline of Central City. "This is it," he said. "These are the exact coordinates that Cadence gave us."<p>

"Excellent." Breathtaker finally turned from the skyline and looked down at the water. "You better get to work. This will take some time and we don't have a lot of it."

Nodding, Lucas held up his hands and a fog immediately blew over the water, blocking them and their boat from the view of the shore. Once he was sure the fog was thick enough, Lucas stretched out his arms and held it over the water that lapped up against the boat. A strong wind started to blow, parting the water below the boat. As the seconds passed, the wind increased in strength and the water continued to part, waves increasing in size. Lucas and Breathtaker continued to watch for a few moments before Lucas noticed a figure down at the bottom and nodded.

"There." He turned his right hand so the palm was up and slowly lifted it over his head. The figure slowly lifted until it arrived at the surface of the water. Breathtaker reached out and pulled Bette into the boat and Lucas replaced the water.

Breathtaker stood over Bette and tilted his head to the side, eyes glowing from underneath his hood. He held out a hand and as the seconds passed, color appeared back in Bette's face and her eyes fluttered open. Lowering his hand, Breathtaker looked down at the explosive metahuman.

"Now that you've finished your task, it's time that you help us."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Whew, got some WestAllen in there. And I finally finished the Plastique episode and now more things are coming in…like Brady meeting the rest of STAR Labs, more interactions with them and Joe, Eddie, and Iris, and a lot of stuff. Sorry for the wait.

Review Replies – I use this to respond to anonymous reviews, but if there's anything I want everyone to see after a signed review, I'll put it here, as well.

_Guest 1:_ We'll just have to see, won't we?

_Guest 2:_ I'm glad you liked the scene with Barry, Brady, and Cadence. There'll be more scenes like that as the story goes on.

_Babyj:_ I hope that was enough Cadence/Caitlin friendship for you. And it gave a bit more to Cadence's personality when she's not being so mysterious and keeping to herself. I'm working on the balance between Barry's POV and Cadence's POV as well as showing the other characters so I hope I'm doing well.

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	14. Out of Control

**.:14:.**

* * *

><p>Oliver Queen frowned as he watched John Diggle pace back and forth on the floor of the Arrow Cave—which Oliver still refused to refer to it as—a cell phone plastered to his ear. As the seconds ticked by, he turned and exchanged a glance with Felicity Smoak, who appeared just as concerned as he did.<p>

When the two turned back to Diggle, he lowered his phone from his ear and turned back to Oliver and Felicity. He paused for a moment before crossing his arms. "I'm not entirely sure how accurate the information I got is, but from what I can understand, the Suicide Squad appears to have started up with a new plan of attack."

Oliver sucked in a deep breath, the stoic expression never leaving his face. He should've seen this coming in many aspects. Just because the Suicide Squad hadn't had made any movements in the past couple of months didn't mean they had completely given up. He actually sort of hated himself for having put them on the back burner. "What sort of plan? And why would they suddenly want to come out and attack now? What could they be gaining from it?"

Diggle shrugged before crossing his arms. "My sources say that there may be some people they're working with, that we haven't ever come across before."

"In Starling City?" Felicity sat up straight, the lenses of her glasses illuminated by the computer screens in front of her. "I thought by now that the Suicide Squad had been disbanded. Not to say that people can't come back, I mean the Backstreet Boys have managed to do it along with other bands that should've stayed in obscurity, if you asked me. But these are criminals we're talking about."

Oliver, who had blinked rapidly as he listened to Felicity's analysis of boy bands in comparison to murderers and criminals, gently shook his head before turning back to Diggle. "With these guys, who knows what sort of wide scale attack it can do on Starling City."

"Not Starling City," Diggle contradicted. He took a deep breath and looked back and forth between Oliver and Felicity. "Central City."

"Central City?"

Felicity perked up at the name of the city that sat a mere six hundred miles away from Starling City, sharing the prison of Iron Heights. At first she thought of Barry Allen, the assistant forensic scientist that she had become friends with and how good it would be to see him again—something that Oliver seemed to notice it as his face darkened slightly—seconds before the words suddenly hit her full force. There was going to be a faction of criminals, those that were deadly and had agreed to put themselves into black ops and secret missions in return for lessened sentences on their incarceration.

Oliver brought a hand up and ran it over his mouth and chin, gently rubbing his stubble. A million thoughts raced through his mind, many of which pertaining to the curious thoughts of what the Suicide Squad would want in Central City and if Barry knew about it. The speedster had really only started to come in on his own to his powers, he probably wouldn't be able to handle things himself if they got too bad.

"Someone get into contact with Roy and let him know that he's going to need to pack a bag," Oliver declared. "We're going to Central City."

* * *

><p>Barry let out a sigh as he stretched his legs in front of him, trying to come up with a good excuse that would get him out of the aerobics room sooner rather than later. And in enough time that Iris would forget that he had even agreed to go to Zumba class with her and Eddie. Despite how much Barry didn't like the young detective, though most of it really was because of his being with Iris, at least he wasn't alone in not wanting to be there.<p>

When Barry had arrived with a sheepish smile and a short wave to the two, Eddie had looked at him from over Iris's head and slightly widened his eyes. He mouthed the word 'no' while waving his hands back and forth, though Iris missed it all, having brightened when she spotted Barry walking into the dance studio in a loose red t-shirt and gray sweatpants.

"Barry, you made it!" Iris cried, bouncing on her toes before going over to hug her best friend. "I thought I was going to have to keep begging you to show." With her arms still wrapped around the speedy metahuman, she tilted her head back and beamed up at him. "You're not going to regret this, it's going to be so much fun!"

"Right, fun," Barry agreed, though not as enthusiastically as Iris had. The young woman finally let go of Barry and turned back to Eddie, who maneuvered his waving hands to behind him, pretending to stretch his arms. He flashed his girlfriend a smile as she moved by him to move her towel and bags out of the way, then turned back to Barry, his smile dropping. Barry glanced at his face for a moment before his shoulders slumped. "Is it really going to be that bad?"

"You have no idea," Eddie replied. He motioned to himself. "I'm in pretty good shape, but even this kicks my ass." He looked Barry up and down, taking in the lanky boy's physique. "I know that you're not particularly _un_atheltic, but this may be a bit difficult for you."

"Oh stop." Iris swatted Eddie on the shoulder. "He can do this, I know he can. He used be in all of the plays and musicals at school, he can dance."

Barry modestly kicked at the ground as Eddie turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know about that. I mean, I think I'm pretty _decent._" Eddie continued to stare at him in surprise and Barry shrugged again. "We'll see." Now he was a bit irritated by the way Eddie was staring at him. _I'm sure that's the same look I'd get if I told them I was the Flash, _Barry thought, hiding a smile. _They certainly wouldn't believe Barry Allen would be the one that's trying to save the city. _His eyes shifted over to Iris, watching her as she bent forward to stretch her legs, checking her out as she grabbed her ankles and leaned over even further. He watched her until she straightened herself and lowered his gaze, moving to take his place on the floor.

At the sound of the door closing, Barry looked over as Cadence walked into the room, dropping her gym bag on the floor. She went to the tiny platform that stood at the front of the room and turned to face the class. She started, giving Barry and odd look as their eyes met, wondering why he was there. He looked back at her and shrugged before smirking a little, silently reminding her it was her fault in the first place that he was attending. Then Cadence smirked; good luck.

Barry smiled to himself. Since Bette's death, he had made a point to be sure that everyone in his life knew how important they were. And considering he had only just met Cadence, he made it a pint to her to know her a bit more. So while the two worked on their physical ability, got checked out by Caitlin, worked with Cisco to save people from the city, and trained with Wells on mastering the capacity of their abilities, he found that she really did understand a lot about him. She had a sense about her that caused her to be very mature, but she also had a side of her that showed how outgoing she was and how she just looked for fun out of life. Her being a metahuman just made it easier for their friendship to grow, despite there being some things he knew she was still keeping back.

There was still plenty of time for that.

Cadence addressed the class, speaking loudly, "Alright guys, who's ready to get started?" She called and smiled at the cheers that she got in response. "That's good to hear. We have some new faces in here today." Barry narrowed his eyes as Cadence pointed to him, eyes flashing with amusement. "One being my friend Barry Allen. This is his first class with us and I _hope_ he comes back after today."

Barry nodded and smiled as the class around him clapped for him. Iris reached over and grabbed onto his wrist and he felt butterflies erupt in his stomach at her encouraging smile. He couldn't help but smile back. It was the first time in a while he had been able to hang out with her, despite Eddie being around. Ever since he had come out of his coma and had become the Flash, as she still dealt with classes and her blog, and her relationship with Eddie, the two hadn't had any time to spend together. He really missed it and while he hated having to keep the secret of the Flash and STAR Labs away from her, he knew it was for the best.

He just hoped that Eddie wouldn't notice him staring at her, in her workout clothes of a tight tank-top and yoga pants. He was a guy, he couldn't help it, and this was the girl he had secretly admired for years. If there was one good thing that was going to come from the class that day, it was being able to watch Iris in her element. She loved to dance as much as he did, though had never been a part of the musicals and plays in school, rather being on the dance team. And while Barry didn't find watching the Central City High school basketball team to be something he particularly liked to do on Friday nights—they weren't really that good—he went to support Iris and her dance team, a place where she really shined.

_Now she's shining on her blog, threatening herself and everyone around her, _Barry reminded himself. He shook the thought out of his head as Cadence's voice caught his attention once more.

"Alright, so today we're going to be doing something a little different and we're going to be doing some salsa work. Now I know that most salsa dances are done in couples, but this is all about you and being in tune with your body. So follow me, doing the opposite of what I am because I'll be facing you, and let's have a good time, alright?"

She led the group in another round of applause before reaching over and playing the music from the boom box connected to her phone that rested by her feet. Upbeat Spanish music came out from the speakers and Cadence bounced back to her spot in the front of the room as the music started.

She counted them off and then started the routine out slow so that the members of the class could catch on and then started the song again before launching into the steps at the faster pace. Barry went along with the moves, a bit awkward at first, as he was used to musical theatre the dances moves he had becomes used to were more straightforward and these moves consisted more of moving his hips and utilizing his stomach muscles along with the quick movements of his arms and feet. But as the music went on, he found himself enjoying the dance, a smile on his face that continued to bloom until he was beaming.

Thanks to his enhanced abilities, he managed to get through the first couple of songs without growing fatigued or needing to take a break. Iris, he had noticed, seemed to fall into the steps gracefully as well, appearing to have the time of her life. And he couldn't help but watch her as he continued to half focus on his steps—thank God for Wells teaching him to practice his brain muscles and utilize his multi-tasking ability. He was entranced by the way Iris danced, not so much that the moves were perfect, but that she was still confident in the way she moved along with the beat. Even falling out of steps a few times, she would make up for it with a spin or hair flip of her own that made it appear that she was doing everything right.

Then Barry looked over at Iris and couldn't help but smile when he saw that the detective was having some trouble dancing. The man was the youngest detective in the CCPD, made a name for himself in the way he did his job, managed to snag the only girl Barry had ever loved, and was attractive to the point that nearly every girl that crossed his path fell for him, and the one thing he couldn't do was keep time with music.

The vision alone made him smile wider than he had in the past couple of weeks. Catching Iris's eyes on a turn, Barry found himself working harder as Cadence continued to call out the dance moves. The fire metahuman enthusiastically led the class through the movements with as much energy as he had seen her exhibit before. It didn't even match when he and Cisco had met up with her and Caitlin for some food at the carnival and she was practically bouncing off the walls, not having had an ounce of sugar.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Cisco asked, giving her a funny look. "You're not going to blackout or anything are you?"

Cadence merely shook her head as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "No," she said honestly. "I just like to have fun."

"Well, does your definition of fun include shooting water in the mouth of a clown?" Cisco asked. "Because Barry here says he's the best at it." He motioned over to the brunette that stood by his side, shrugging modestly.

"I've been known to burst a few clown balloons in my day," he said. "I've been the reigning champ for the past five years."

"Well, you just met your match," Caitlin declared. "Because I haven't lost either."

Cisco pointed over to his friend. "She really hasn't. And she gets _very _competitive at this game." He then rubbed his hands together, gleefully looking back and forth from Caitlin to Barry. "This is going to be the battle to end all battles."

And the four had gone to the game and played and played…and played and played as Barry and Caitlin wouldn't allow the other person to win as the scores continued to go back and forth. Eventually Cisco and Cadence had to pull the two away from the game as little kids, who had been waiting to play, started to cry when they wouldn't give up their seats. But the mission had been accomplished and Barry had eventually gotten his mind off of Bette and what happened to her. It had been weeks since then and he didn't think of it as much, finding, when he did, he didn't become as depressed.

Now Barry found himself, once again, forgetting about everything that had been a problem to him as he continued to dance around the studio. Finally, the hour and a half class ended and Barry clapped along with the class as Cadence turned off the music and bowed.

"Thanks for a great class, guys," Cadence said loudly. "I'll see you next time!" She waved before jumping off the platform and going over to her bag, to retrieve her towel.

Barry turned to go to his bag then stopped, blinking rapidly. Iris and Eddie stood directly behind him; arms crossed and looked at him with varying degrees of amazement. As Barry watched them, the two looked at each other and then back at Barry, who was starting to become uncomfortable under their intense gaze. "What?"

"I knew you were good, Bare, but I didn't know you were _that _good," Iris said. She swatted him on the shoulder once more, which Barry realized she was starting to become good at. "Musical theatre be damned, you should become a professional dancer."

"Oh please." Barry rolled his eyes. "You know my first love is forensics." _Okay, maybe not, but it's not like this would be the best time to tell you. _Barry glanced at Eddie, who slowly shook his head before reaching out and patting Barry on the shoulder.

"I have to admit, Allen, I had my doubts, but that was amazing," Eddie said. He gripped Barry's shoulder and shook him. "The fanciest footwork I've ever seen. You'll definitely be finding yourself a girlfriend soon with those moves."

Tilting his head to the side, Barry rubbed his neck, not used to the constant attention being put on him. Even after he had come out of the coma he did his best to downplay all of the shocked attention he received. But for this…something he hadn't ever given a lot of serious thought about, all because he had to use it as a cover as to how he was getting into the shape the lightning had given him.

"I'm not _that _good."

"I beg to differ," Cadence said sauntering over to the group as the class left the room.

She tilted her head to the side, mimicking Barry's movements as she looked up at him. His eyes shifted to her cheek, where he spotted a scar resting from her lower jaw up to her cheek. He hadn't noticed it before because her hair was always loose, but now it was visible as it was pulled back into a ponytail. He made a mental note to ask her about it.

"So why didn't you tell me?" Cadence asked.

"Tell you that I could dance? It's not something"

"That you can move your hips like Shakira?" The short brunette smiled as Iris and Eddie laughed. "So you were a musical theater guy in high school. I can see that."

"What about you?"

"Soccer player, swimmer…cheerleader."

"You were a cheerleader?" Iris asked. Beside her, Eddie nodded as if he could picture it. "That explains it."

"Yeah, but I'm not as good as Barry. Seriously, you should think about coming to class more often. You really have a talent for it." She then looked over at Eddie and smiled sympathetically. "You did a good job, too, Eddie. You're really starting to get the hang of it."

"Thanks, but I think I'll stick with slow dancing whenever I actually have to do it," Eddie remarked. He put his arm around Iris and pulled her into his side. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, like she had done with Barry before, resting her cheek on his chest. "But I'm glad you came over here, Cadence, I was hoping that I could get you to come down to the station to answer some more questions about what happened with Brady."

Iris now swatted Eddie on the chest, causing Barry to smirk, and looked up at him. "Eddie! It can wait."

"It's alright," Cadence said, keeping her eyes on Eddie. "Detective Pretty-Boy, I mean Thawne, just wants to make sure all of his bases are covered." She crossed her arms. "What do you want to know?"

The corner of Eddie's mouth lifted up into a smile. "Pretty Boy, huh?" His eyebrow twitched upwards as his smile widened.

"I'm sorry, but you have some _really_ long eye lashes," she said bluntly. "I mean it makes your eyes stand out, which are an amazing shade of blue by the way, but it can't be helped but noticed. It seems to be something you're trying to overcompensate for."

Now Eddie shifted uncomfortably as Barry tried to quell his laughter but failed. Iris glowered at him as he continued his futile attempts to calm down. "I…I don't have anything I'm trying to compensate for." He cleared his throat. He opened his mouth to continue, suddenly steeling himself up, but Iris now removed her arms from her boyfriend and moved in front of him.

"Okay, I think we're all just a little tired here," she said. She cast a quick glance up at Eddie before turning to Cadence with a bright smile. "Anyway, I really enjoyed your class. Maybe next time we can get something to drink after," she suggested. "Maybe talk over these guys' egos a bit," she added with a light laugh.

Cadence smiled and nodded. "I'd like that. I'll get back to you. Right now I need to clean up a bit so the next person to use this room doesn't complain again." She stepped back away from the threesome and went around the room, picking up discarded paper cups and towels that had been left behind.

"What about you, Barry? Do you want to get some coffee with us?" Iris asked, turning to her best friend.

"I'd like to, but Joe and I have some stuff that we need to get done before going into work so…" Barry trailed off, keeping his eyes away from Eddie. The last thing he needed was for Joe's partner to demand what he was being kept out of and trying to figure out some sort of an excuse that would keep him clear from the news of metahumans he needed to explain. "I guess I'll see you two later."

"Alright." Iris didn't appear bothered by him turning down the plans and took the bag that Eddie handed to her. "It'll give me time to take a _long _and much needed shower before going to class and work." She rolled her eyes. "Why do they think that having three hour long classes in the morning is a good idea? Aren't grad classes supposed to be at night?"

"We'll talk about your vendetta against school class policies on the way back to the apartment," Eddie said to her, putting his arm around her shoulder. "I'll see you at work, Allen." Barry nodded before turning and watching the two leave the dance studio.

Barry then turned to Cadence, who had finally cleared the room and had picked up the keys to the room to return them to the front desk. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Cadence flipped her hair out of her face, widening her eyes innocently. "Oh, you mean Detective Pretty Boy trying to butt into my business? Yeah, I really didn't want to get back into what happened with Brady. I figured he wouldn't notice if I changed the subject."

Then Barry understood. "Changing it to one of his insecurities so that he wouldn't realize you were trying to keep the conversation off you." Cadence nodded. "That's really clever actually, and I'm surprised you managed to pick that up."

"I figured, from having had a few run-ins with CCPD as of late, that considering how young he is he's constantly proving himself as he went up the ranks to become a detective. Must not have been easy." She gave him a pointed look and Barry grimaced, thinking about how Captain Singh always seemed to jump on him whenever he was around. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder before motioning for Barry to follow her out of the room. "Unfortunately his asking about him has put me in a very bad mood."

"Really? I didn't notice considering you seemed to be so into his _amazing_ blue eyes and everything." Barry rolled his eyes as Cadence closed the door behind them and the two headed down the hallway. He let out a light laugh. "I can't believe every girl falls for someone like that. I can't believe _you _fell for someone like that."

Cadence could've easily defended herself and denied the accusation, but turned the tables around on Barry, lightly shaking her head. "Sorry, but I think I detect a bit of jealousy."

"I'm not jealous," Barry quickly defended himself.

"Then what would you call it?" Stopping at the front desk, Cadence handed the keys over to the receptionist before turning to face Barry, smirking at him. "Your eyes aren't green for nothing." Playfully, she reached out and tapped the tip of his nose, causing him to laugh, brushing her hand away. "I totally get it, Barry," she continued. "Wanting to be with someone that only sees you as a friend, hoping they'd realize that you're different, better for them. You want them to understand that _because_ they're your friend for so long, you understand everything about them and still have those feelings despite seeing them at their worst. All you want is that one chance to prove that everything you feel for them doesn't go to waste."

Barry listened quietly.

That was exactly how he felt whenever he was around Iris. And as the days went on, he found it harder and harder to keep himself from saying something. Each time she gushed about another Flash sighting, or talked about how amazing it was that he had managed to save someone with little to no effort, all Barry wanted to do was jump up and wave his arms yelling "that's me! I'm the Flash!" He had never kept so many secrets from her before, but Joe had made him promise not to say anything. And as much as it hurt, knowing she would accept him and what he was doing the second he said something…he couldn't.

She couldn't get hurt, not because of him. Too many people he loved have been taken. And what if she _didn't _take the news well? What if his lying to her was that final wedge that would drive them apart forever? She already thought he was gone when he was in the coma and now he was back a different person, but not the same person he was before the explosion. Maybe the new Barry would alienate her too much.

_Just like everything 'normal' isn't as interesting anymore, _he realized. The days of going to the mall, the movies, the museum didn't entertain him as much as running around and putting out fires and saving people did. It was his duty, something he now lived for. Maybe she noticed that difference, too. "Did that happen to you?"

Eyes shifting, Cadence pushed herself off of the counter. "Something like that."

"Mom!"

Turning at the sound of the cry, Barry watched, eyes widening as he spotted his mother standing down the hallway, arms wide open. They widened even further when he saw an image of his young self running down the hallway and grabbing his mother around the waist. How old was he there? Probably eight or nine, considering the bad haircut he had in the third grade. And still, as he watched himself hug his mother he felt himself slowly moving towards the two of them. His footsteps moved slowly along the ground as he walked towards her.

And as he approached, Nora lifted her head and smiled warmly, holding out a hand towards Barry. Barry slowly reached out his hand, daring his fingertips to touch her. Maybe…maybe if he could touch her hand, he would see that it was just a dream. That…that she wasn't really there. But his fingertips touched hers and he gasped when he felt her hand enclose around his.

Her hand was warm.

She was there.

She was _really _there.

Looking down Barry noticed his younger self looking up at him with a big smile. Then he turned back to Nora and she reached out, cupping his face. "Barry," she said to him. "My sweet little boy."

"Barry? Are you okay?"

Jerking backwards, Barry took in his surroundings, suddenly feeling disoriented. There he was, standing in the hallway that led to the locker rooms of the fitness center. Turning around, he spotted Cadence looking at him in concern. "Uh. Yeah." He nodded. "Yeah, I just thought I saw someone I knew. That would've been really awkward, right?" He gave a fleeting laugh before shoving his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. "I'll see you later."

He gave her another nod as he walked by his friend and out the door. Glancing both ways up the street, Barry made sure the coast was clear then raced back to his apartment. As soon as he arrived he kicked off his shoes and staggered to his bed, where he fell into a deep, restless, sleep.

* * *

><p>Cadence pushed open the door to the fitness center and had only made it to the end of the block when someone stepped out in front of her. The fire metahuman stumbled back and then looked up at the woman a few years her senior, eyebrows rising.<p>

"Leah," she said, taking in the black and white Mohawk resting atop her friend's head. "I didn't think I'd see you here so soon." She lowered her voice. "Breathtaker and Lucas said you were coming, but that you had some other things to work on. Is Mitchell with you, too?"

"Incognito got held up," Leah replied calmly. Her blue eyes flashed as they bored into Cadence's. "But that's not why I'm here. I rendezvoused with Breathtaker earlier today and he got me caught up on everything. So tell me." Her eyes shone a bright blue as they continued to bore into Cadence's. "How are things going with Barry? Have you figured out anything we can use?"

Cadence looked back at her for a long moment before replying, "He has a strong sense of justice and will do anything to help those that are in trouble. In many ways, that can be one of his weaknesses. He's also especially close to Iris West. That would be his best target to go after, to get to him, when the time comes."

"You certainly have been doing a lot of work," Leah continued. "Definitely a great addition to the team." She placed her hand on Cadence's shoulder and held it there for a few moments. "I'm glad I managed to talk the other guys into letting you join. The money doesn't hurt either, does it?"

Cadence gently shook her head, bringing her hand up to her forehead. "Was there something else you needed? Or was that all? I have some things I need to do."

"No, that's it," Leah said calmly. She examined her nails, suddenly bored by the conversation. "But if you don't mind I'll tell Breathtaker and Stratos what you had to say if that's alright. It'll give you more time to keep watching them, making sure that things are safe for the rest of us." At Cadence's nod, Leah stepped around her and sauntered down the street.

Cadence looked at her watch and shifted around the corner before teleporting to the door of her apartment. She unlocked it and went inside, finding Brady sitting on the couch, watching TV. He looked up as his mother entered the apartment and waved to her. Cadence smiled at him. "Hey bud," she greeted him. "What's up?" She crossed the room and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Did anyone come to the door?"

"No," Brady said dutifully.

"Did anyone call?"

"My teacher did to remind you of the parent teacher conference this afternoon," Brady said. He reached over and picked up a piece of paper from the table that sat beside him. Handing it over to his mother, he continued, "it's at three. I said you were in the shower."

"I remember," Cadence said. She took the piece of paper form him before ruffling his hair. "I just have some stuff I need to do before we go over." Brady nodded then chewed his lower lip, fumbling with the remote in his hands. Her eyes narrowed. "What's wrong, buddy? The only times you're this quiet if when I'm trying to get you to eat broccoli."

"Are you ashamed of me?"

Brady's sudden question caused Cadence to look up at him sharply. She let out a startled laugh before calming herself. "No! Why would you think that?"

"Because you won't let me meet any of your friends," Brady said in the same, subdued tone. "Ever. If anyone comes around I'm sent out of the room. We don't ever see Grandma and Grandpa. And…you won't let me call you Mom."

Cadence closed her eyes, lowering her head as she thought of the best way to explain it. But how could she tell an eight year old boy that not everyone in the world spoke highly of a sixteen year old mother. How could she tell him that she had been bullied, teased mercilessly, out casted, and left alone to raise him herself? How could she tell him her parents had kicked her out of the house after he was born, all because they were too ashamed of their only daughter having become pregnant?

_"God, she's such a whore."_

_"I can't believe she gave it up so easily."_

_"Do you think he's gonna stick around?"_

_"No, not with a slut like that."_

Shaking her head, Cadence tried to expel the things that had continued to haunt her ever since she first heard them. The things she continued to hear whenever she and Brady were out walking on the streets. How could she go from a ton of friends to no friends and by herself all over the course of one night? Just because she and her boyfriend, whom she had loved at the time, had decided to have sex. High schoolers, she had learned quickly, could be so fickle about that sort of thing. It disgusted her to a point but it wasn't something she had thought about too much at the time. Giving it thought now was when it made her angry.

"I explained it to you before, Brade, not many people…agree with the life we live," she said delicately. It had been the same excuse she'd used many times before, but she could see from the way his pout deepened that he still didn't understand. "They don't understand the choices I've made."

"So that _does_ mean you're ashamed of me," he murmured. "That I was a mistake."

Now Cadence placed her hands on her hips. "When have I ever told you that you're a mistake?"

"You didn't have to." He tried to lower his head to avoid her gaze, but Cadence knew him well enough to know when he was hiding something. Gently grabbing his chin, she tilted his head back and her face softened when she spotted the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Braden Nash, did someone tell you these things?" She demanded, anger surging through her body in hot flashes. "Did someone say that you were just a mistake and that I don't want you around? It's alright, sweetie, you can tell me."

Brady brought up his hands and wiped at his eyes. "Some kids in my class say it was mistake for you to have had me. That I should've just been put up for adoption or that you shouldn't have been stupid enough to get pregnant in the first place."

"What else do they say?" Cadence then paused, realizing she didn't want to hear exactly what they had to say. "Some of the bad words I told you not to use?" She sighed when Brady nodded and sat down next to him. She reached out and pulled her into his arms, rubbing circles on his back. "If I thought you were a mistake, then I wouldn't have decided to raise you. I loved you the moment you were growing in my belly and knew it wasn't a mistake that it happened.

She then cupped her hands around his face and looked down at him, eyes narrowing into a glare that barely concealed her anger. Her hands shook around Brady's cheeks, a dull glow appearing at her wrists. But she kept her composure, knowing if she lost control she would burn him quicker than she could stop herself. "Now you listen to me. There are going to be a lot of times where people tell you things based on rumor and what their parents have to say. Kids are like parrots that way. They don't know what they're talking about and when they do form their own opinions, some may still think the way they do now. I want you to be your own person. I don't ever want you to give in to peer pressure or what other people think. And I'm giving you permission now that if someone bullies you or pushes you around or hits you, that you can hit them back just as hard and I won't get mad.

"What you need to remember is that I love you, I never thought you were a mistake, I never regretted becoming pregnant with you. Ever. No matter when I became pregnant, I'd love you just as much as I already do."

"Really?" Tilting his head back, Brady looked up at his mother, eyes wide and brimming with tears that threatened to fall. Cadence smiled and brushed them away.

"Really." She then let out a mock-disappointed sigh. "Besides, if that were the case, I would've gotten rid of you ages ago." Brady let out a sound of annoyance before turning and pressing his fingertips into his mother's side, tickling her. "Stop! You know I hate it when you do that."

"That's just because you're so ticklish," Brady replied. He stuck his tongue out before leaning back and smiling up at his mother. "So what are you going to say to my teacher at the conference?"

"Nothing she doesn't already know. Besides, she's supposed to be telling _me _about _you_ remember?" She thought for a moment. "Tell you what. After the meeting, why don't we stop at Big Belly Burger for some lunch and then I'll take you to STAR Labs so you can meet everyone else? How does that sound?"

"Awesome!" Brady declared.

"Cool." Cadence lifted her hand and Brady gave her an enthusiastic high-five. "Now, I'm going to take a shower for real." She ignored Brad's comment that she stank and pointed at him. "I know you have the day off, but you still have to do your homework."

The teasing smile fell from Brady's face in seconds, causing Cadence to laugh.

* * *

><p>"Gideon, take note." Harrison's blue eyes stared straight ahead at the large sheet of paper that was projected onto the spotted wall in front of him. "Considering my documentation on Cadence Nash I have come to the realization that if she is as strong as we think she is, as we <em>know <em>she is, we need to keep an eye on her at all times. Not only is it that there may be more metahumans out there than we're conscious of, but her association to this Michael Bloom fellow is a sure indication…that there may be others that want her powers for their use."

Harrison slowly moved his hands to his hips, firmly pressing his fingertips into his waist. "Newsprint from the future doesn't seem to indicate that she has the matching sort of future that Barry Allen brings about, though she is still beneficial to Barry's development. Still what I know of her that the others don't, things that can't be exposed until the time is right, such as my preparation throughout the upbringing of Barry Allen, so to speak, shall remain to stand the test of time." He looked at his watch. "That'll be all."

"Yes, Harrison."

Harrison stepped back from his futuristic computer as Gideon's face disappeared. He walked out of the concealed room and sat down in his wheelchair that had been parked outside it. He sat down and maneuvered the wheelchair around and drove it back towards the main floor of STAR Labs. Caitlin and Cisco sat at their desks, looking over the computer monitors.

Immediately noticing the pair of headphones that trailed from their ears, he spoke. "I hope that what you're listening to is highly educational."

"Shh." Cisco moved a finger to his mouth. "I'm watching the Victoria's Secret Fashion show."

Raising an eyebrow, Caitlin turned towards her brother-like friend. "How's that educational?"

"In case I ever get a girlfriend, I know what body type would make the different kinds of underwear look best," Cisco uttered, voice low as he continued to stare at his computer screen with unblinking eyes. "I mean, I don't want to offend her with the wrong choice, do I?"

Caitlin rolled her eyes, pulling her headphones from her ears, strains of light, classical music sounding from the tiny speakers. "I'm marginalizing the different cells from Barry's and Cadence's bodies to see what cells it is that caused Cadence to develop her powers and Barry to gain his." She shrugged. "I just thought I'd listen to some light music while I worked."

"I applaud your enthusiasm," Harrison remarked with a smirk. "For both of you." He situated his wheelchair over to his computer and with a few taps against the screen; his touch immediately recognized from the computer, he shared the Caitlin's computer desktop. "May I also note that you have a...very interesting taste in music, Miss. Snow. Not many women your age would be listening to Mozart."

"Only when she works Dr. Wells," Cisco said with a light laugh. "When she's working out or doing anything else, she's totally a Katy Perry girl." He leaned out of the way as Caitlin turned to punch him on the arm. "What? Everyone has their guilty pleasures."

"Like yours and Lady Gaga?"

"Hey, that's not as bad as Barry. He broadcasts it all over his Facebook page!"

"There's nothing wrong with Lady Gaga, she has some really sick music. Besides, I like Skrillex, too." Harrison looked over towards the ground and noticed Barry lying in the plank position where he had been doing a series of rapid-fire pushups. "Did you know that he had been in a punk band before going to create what was then called Dubstep? Though, depending on who you ask, he wasn't really the one that created it, which has caused many arguments in the music industry about whether or not he should really be credited for making music. Then, of course, deadmau5 comes into the equation and things get even more confusing."

He pushed himself to his feet and dusted off his hands. Harrison's gaze pinpointed to the small cloud of dust that appeared in a cloud as he clapped his palms together. "I see you made it out to the bridge collapse earlier this afternoon," he remarked. "Am I to be surprised if by tomorrow morning the entire thing is rebuilt?" He smiled as Barry shook his head. "It's just as well, it gives you practice with lifting and moving weights at a top rate of speed. Something we should've thought to go into ages ago."

"I can get another sample and try to determine the amount of weight and the matter he can carry before it either tires him out or combusts," Caitlin offered.

"Not at the moment, Miss. Snow. Right now we have some more pressing matters to deal with." Harrison navigated away from Caitlin's desk top and noticed movement on one of the outside cameras. He watched the image for a moment and then smiled before turning around. "Seems to me that we have a couple of visitors." As he said that, there was a puff of smoke and Cadence and Barry appeared in the center of the floor.

Brady's eyes widened as he took in all of the high-tech gadgets and gizmos that surrounded the room. "Wow," he said breathlessly before turning back to his mother. "You work here?"

"It's not like I get paid for it, but yeah," Cadence agreed. She waved him to his side before motioning to her co-workers. "Guys, this is Brady. Brady you remember Barry, this is Dr. Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramone, and Dr. Harrison Wells."

"Just call me Caitlin." Standing up, she walked over to Brady and bent over, placing one hand on her knee, holding out the other towards Brady. "It's nice to meet you, Brady."

"Hi." Brady smiled and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, too." He let go of her hand and moved aside, holding his hand out to Harrison, who came up behind Caitlin. Caitlin quickly stood up and looked at her mentor, whose eyes quickly shifted to her face, before holding his hand out towards Brady as well. "Hi."

"Hello there." Harrison shook Brady's hand firmly before leaning back in his seat. His thin lips stretched into a smile as his eyes shifted around the room. "I see you're fascinated by what we have going on here. I just want you to know that we're all doing our best to help Cadence and Barry with their powers. So you have no reason to worry."

Brady smiled and continued to walk around the room, taking in what it had to offer. He trotted over to Barry and Cisco, shaking their hands before being led over to the treadmill that Cisco had created for Barry. He watched as the speedster jumped on and started running slowly before going at his top speed, becoming a red blur. Brady watched with eyes wide, filled with admiration.

"I think he's gonna like it here," Cadence remarked with a laugh, watching him. "I think it's going to be hard for him to keep from telling his friends now, though." She looked over at Harrison, lowering her gaze. "I'm sorry I didn't run this by you before I brought him…but since he knew about my powers I thought he should know about this, too."

"No need to apologize, Miss. Nash. I understand that in times of stress there are some extenuating circumstances that you can't exactly foresee." He pulled off his glasses and gazed down at the lenses for a moment, almost pensive. Then he raised his eyes to hers. "As it is, it's really refreshing. He reminds me of me when I was young, just getting into what the scientific fields had to offer."

"Then I hope he doesn't try to blow up a microwave," Caitlin remarked, sharing a secret smile with Harrison as she referred to one of the many anecdotes he had told her of his youth. Though they weren't as infamous as the ones he had told her of his times as an undergrad and as a grad student, it still managed to get to utter a chuckle or two. "But now that you're here, Cadence, why don't we get some practice in?"

At Cadence's confused glance, Harrison continued. "We want to get a good idea of your powers in comparison to each other. So if you don't mind exhibiting it…"

"You want us to fight?"

She jumped at the sound of a crash and looked over to see Cisco, and Brady wincing as Barry peeled himself off of the wall behind him. He raised his hands above his head as if to mime he wasn't hurt, causing Caitlin and Harrison to slowly shake their heads back and forth in unison.

"Wow, you really have that motherly headshake down," Cadence remarked.

Caitlin gave her a wry smile. "I've had a lot of practice."

"To answer your question, Miss. Nash, yes we want you two to fight," Harrison said. "It'd help us with our research and I bet you want to get back at him for having beaten you the first time you two ran into each other."

Cadence's cheek twitched. "I'm not in a very good mood; it won't end well for him."

"I'd hope not." Harrison's words caused Cadence to falter for a second but then she nodded and went to change into her suit. Harrison then directed Barry into his suit before the group moved to a room that used to be an active lab. It would be plenty of space for the two metahumans to fight. Cisco and Brady eagerly sat to the side, Cisco with an iPad in his lap to watch the fight go down. Harrison and Caitlin situated themselves next to the boys, though deciding to watch the fight in real time. "Now let's see what these two can come up with when they're forced to leave allegiances aside."

Caitlin chewed her lower lip. "Do you think this is a good idea?"

"Don't you?" Harrison glanced over at Caitlin and watched as she tried to form a response to his question.

It was that remarkable brain of hers. No matter what sort of situation she was put in, she managed to come out the other side with a stronger view of the world and with more knowledge she could ever imagine. He had seen how Ronnie's death had affected her, she had visited him in the hospital enough times for him to see she was trying to distract herself from reality, and yet she had managed to come back from that as well.

Like he knew she would.

Just as he knew she would understand that what he was doing was not only good for Cadence, but for Barry and STAR Labs as well. What she didn't know was how it was going to eventually help the world. The whole thing was to help the world and as much as it hurt, he didn't think he'd go back and change any of the choices he had made. _Though that's not entirely true, is it? _He reasoned with himself, looking down at his legs. Taking in a deep breath he motioned for Barry and Cadence to get started, gazing intently at the two metahumans.

"I'm not going to hold anything back," Barry warned Cadence, stretching his arms.

Cadence responded as she pulled on her goggles, "I hope you won't." There was a brief pause and Barry charged towards her, disappearing from view, but coming towards her with an outstretched fist. Right before he could make contact, Cadence teleported aside and swiftly brought her elbow down onto Barry's back, knocking him to the ground.

Grunting, Barry slammed to the ground before getting back to his feet and charging towards her again, this time in a move to grab her arm, to overpower her with his speed. But once again she teleported out of the way and slammed her foot into his ribs. "You have to try better than that, Barry," she said through gritted teeth. "At least make it worth my while."

Lying on his side on the ground, Barry pushed himself up and watched Cadence, placing a hand on his chest. Then a glow caught his gaze and he watched as a glow moved from her wrists and down her hands, disappearing into her gloves. Realizing she was about to send fire his way, Barry leapt up and aimed another punch towards her. As she started to teleport away, causing her to suddenly shift her focus in power, he moved around her in a quick circle and kneed her in the stomach before kicking her legs out from underneath her, knocking her down. Retreating a safe distance away, Barry watched as Cadence got to her feet.

"Oh, that was _so _awesome!" Cisco declared, to which Brady nodded enthusiastically. His eyes were wide as he watched the two, unable to form any other sounds.

Cadence's chest heaved up and down as she regarded Barry with a slow, evil smile. "Don't hold back, right?"

In return, Barry lifted his hands. "Don't hold back."

Cadence's eyes flashed a bright orange as she lowered her head, rolled her shoulders then suddenly stepped out with a strong punch, a flash of fire racing towards Barry. He quickly moved out of the way and raced towards her to strike her. Cadence reacted by running back towards him and swinging her arms up; in a standing back flip. Her momentum kicked Barry in the chin and sent him stumbling back, before charging her and tackling her to the ground. He managed to get a few punches in before Cadence rolled to the side and wrapped her legs around his neck. With a push of her hands off of the floor, she rotated like a helicopter propeller, the momentum throwing him to the ground.

Barry charged Cadence once more and got in a series of hits on her. She tried to teleport away but Barry turned back and continued to get swings in. He could see her frustration starting to get to her, causing her movements to become more erratic, easier for him to avoid. Though when she did hit him, he could feel the strength in eat hit. Barry knocked her onto her back and Cadence teleported a few feet away.

He turned towards her but she sent stream after stream of fire his way, blocking his movements to escape. Then she was back on him, eyes and fists blazing as the two traded blows. She got a punch to his cheek; hand encased with fire that immediately burned his skin. Barry cried out in pain, holding onto his face, stumbling back and Cadence grabbed onto his neck, causing him to scream again.

"Don't even try it Barry," she hissed, voice low with anger. "You and I both know that you're not strong enough to beat me. Not yet. Now, I'd hope that you were smart enough to realize that right from the beginning." She brought his face closer to hers. "You don't think; because if you did, you would realize that no matter how fast you move fire always moves faster!"

Caitlin gasped quietly, watching the intensity of the fire metahuman. "Don't you think we should stop them?" She asked. She glanced at Harrison, who didn't reply, still watching the metahumans with rapt attention. She then turned to Cisco, who had handed the iPad to Brady and was not getting to his feet. The young scientist's eyes were still on the fight as he groped his way over to Harrison.

"I think we should stop," he said, swallowing thickly. "I don't think he can handle this. What if she loses control?"

"That is exactly what I was hoping for," Harrison murmured, removing his hand from his mouth. "And it appears we've reached that moment." He grabbed the joystick on the arm of his seat and moved himself a few inches forward. "That's enough!" He called, voice echoing over the room. Cadence glanced at him but didn't stop. Harrison then rolled over to the fire alarm that rested on the wall and pulled it.

Alarms immediately sounded and seconds late the room was filled with water. The water hit Cadence and the fire around her hand and in her eyes immediately disappeared. She let go of Barry and he fell to the ground before she fell to her knees beside him.

"Barry?" She hovered over him. "Are you okay? I'm sorry."

Barry coughed a few times before turning to her with a small smile. The burns on his cheek and neck started to heal. "I'm not," he said. "That was cool."

Cadence smiled.

"Like father like daughter," Harrison remarked with a light shake of his head. "I should've known from the beginning that she could have the ability to use her emotions to strengthen or weaken her power. It appears that she's managed to control that ability for the most part. But when she loses control…"

"Are you telling me her father gets that angry, too?" Cisco asked, eyes widening.

Brady nodded. "Mhm. But he doesn't have powers."

_No, he doesn't, _Harrison thought.

Caitlin leaned towards Harrison. Her hair brushing his shoulder caused him to slightly turn towards her, ignoring the slight twitch of movement in his legs. As she spoke her voice was soft with worry from what she had just seen. "I don't mean to speak out of turn, but as a reminder, it's not right to think it came from her father, as it could be passed down from her mother as well."

Harrison hid a secret smile. "Precisely."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Okay, I've only watched a few episodes of Arrow so far (including the ones with Barry) so I'm going to do my best with writing those characters in character as the story goes on. We're really close to some big things being revealed though there are still some twists and turns along the way. And yes, finally some fight scenes! That was fun to write. Btw, if you want to picture Brady, the faceclaim (as I've done in a photoset on tumblr) is Alex Ferris.

Also, I'm promoting this story on tumblr, so if you see it, please reblog. :)

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	15. It was like I was being controlled

**.:15:.**

* * *

><p>The area of the warehouse was dark, milky light from the room filtering through the holes in the roof. The sound of water lapping at the wooden stilts that kept it above water level could be heard as the seconds passed. The three figures that waited inside looked at each other every now and then. Despite working with each other for the past couple of years, they were aware that they couldn't quite trust each other as much as they should. No, they weren't a team, they weren't going to congratulate each other on a job well done, pat each other on the back then head off to some bar to continue to bask in their achievement.<p>

Once the money was given and handed out, they went their separate ways before being called back to do it all over again. And again and again until enough money was piled up for the ultimate plan that had to be unfolded. It was moving a lot quicker than Breathtaker had thought it would go.

As soon as he figured out how wealthy and successful this guy was, that had set the whole plan in motion for Breathtaker. Not only would it be the best way to turn Central City against what they had always known, creating villains out of the people they thought they could trust, but it would bring him that great power he had been searching for. The power he would do anything to make sure he could get it. Even stage the death of someone so that he could make sure everything went the way it was supposed to.

It had been so easy too, based on what Cadence had told him after having watched Barry for so long, he was someone that was easy to become friends with. After having gotten Leah to get into General Eiling's head, getting to know the person he had been chasing after, it had been so easy for everything else to go along. Now all he had to do was wait for Incognito to come around and then they could finally put the ultimate plan in action. Not only would it mean the demise for Central City, but it would mean the ultimate demise for the man that used to be in such high regard and had his reputation crashed to the ground.

"What are we waiting for?" Leah's voice broke through the silence, echoing around the warehouse. Breathtaker, who had been quietly pacing back and forth across the overhead rafter looked down at her. "I'm ready to get going…to get some money. I don't know about you, but I have to pay my rent. Central City isn't as glamorous, rent wise, as you'd think it is."

"Try Starling City," Lucas shot back. He sat on the bottom step of the stairs that lead to the upper floors of the warehouse, gently shifting a cigarette in his mouth. "That place is run over by the millionaires. The Glades is the only part of the city that the cost of living is actually affordable." He tilted his head to the side. "Kind of reminds me of Metropolis in a way."

Leah laughed and reached out, taking the cigarette from his mouth and sticking it in her own, taking a long breath. "Speaking of Metropolis, where's Brigade? I figured she'd be here by now."

"She's probably making sure that the little one is in bed before coming over here," Lucas pointed out. He slowly smiled. "I mean, what other incentive to make sure she does what we need her to do?" He looked up at Leah who chuckled, her eyes suddenly glowing a cobalt blue.

"Hmm, I wonder," she said before the two started to laugh.

"Patience," Breathtaker said as he came down from the upper rafters. His eyes glowed underneath his hood, hands poking out from the sleeves. "We're not going to allow anything to ruin what we're striving for. The minute you have your impatience show, the harder it will be for us in the long run." He turned back and forth between Leah and Lucas and the two nodded. "Now, we have a new target to go after. The first couple that we managed to get through…we'll leave them alone. If the inheritance had been any bigger we would've gone after the son, too, but we got the money we needed and created an ally that we'll be able to go back to when the time is right. Now, we need to be sure that our next hit goes one hundred percent. We can only do that when Cadence gets here."

"If you say so," Leah agreed.

Lucas looked aside, running a hand over his face. He was silent for a long moment before bringing his cigarette back to his mouth and taking in a long, long drag, breathing it back out of his nose and mouth in a large puff of smoke. _It better go right this time. _They needed this hit to go exactly right, not only would it make things easier in the monetary department. He had no sense of guilt, no feelings, he did what he was going to end up doing anyway, as his life was going to run in that direction if he didn't wind up in jail first.

"Hey." Lucas looked up as Cadence walk into the warehouse, sliding through the side door. "Is everyone here?" She looked up at Breathtaker and nodded as he motioned for the group to come together. "Incognito still isn't here yet?"

"There are still some things he needs to make sure of, Brigade," Breathtaker replied. "I was just reminding them about patience and I know you have a temper. Don't worry about him; he'll be here when the time is right. At the moment, there are more important things to worry about. Such as the next assignment we have and being sure we keep Bette Sans Souci out of sight until the rest of the Suicide Squad gets arrives."

"What's the target?" Leah asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"One of the richest people in Central City," Breathtaker replied. "The Mayor."

After getting their assignment, Cadence, Lucas, and Leah went to the block that held the tallest buildings in Central City. They casually strolled down the streets as a light downpour started to fall. Leah glanced up at the first building them came across and tilted her head back. "Is this the place?" She asked.

Cadence nodded and looked it over before lowering her gaze to the sheet of paper that was clenched in her hand. She tilted her head to the side and let out a low breath, looking over the front of the building. It appeared the same way it had when she was given the information from Breathtaker, and yet she felt…weird being there. Not that she hadn't done it before, killed people to get the money that was promised to them when needed. But now…the last people they had gone against had bad lives, they acted like everything was okay, that they were God's gift to Earth, but no one around them knew of the drug use they were constantly hiding day after day. No one else knew that their son was starving, didn't have a lot of attention put on him, was neglected because the parents had been so into their drugs.

That had been an easy one; family members had tried to get the two of them to stop their obvious addictions, having put them into rehab more times than could be count. But they continued to relapse over and over again, then they had started to steal money and possessions from said family members to make sure that their need could be paid for, alienating themselves from the rest of their family. And that's what had been the final straw for the uncle, brother to the mother. He had become so tired of everyone around them being so engrossed in the tragedy of their sister's life, that he felt there was nothing better for them than the death they deserved.

It hadn't been hard to get into contact with Breathtaker, for those that new the dark, seedy, underbelly of the Central City that continued to hold a shiny, sparkling reputation in comparison to its sister city, Starling, that was positioned about six hundred miles away, no one would be the wiser. It was to appear like an accident, and it had almost failed because Cadence suddenly felt guilty while she had been doing it. Which was strange, all of the times she had worked on hits before, with the Assassination Bureau and she felt nothing until she returned to her house and snuggled up with Brady, able to return to her normal life.

But this time…

"Yep, this is the place," She finally concurred. "Don't forget, get past the doorman, make sure security is taken care of, get in, get out."

"Got it."

Leah brought her hands up and smoothed the spikes of her Mohawk, and then the three moved into the lobby of the large high-rise building. The Mayor lived on the top floor, every other floor showcasing his wealthy in one way or another. Then again, from their understanding, there was hardly any politicians in the world that didn't throw their wealth around in one way or another. But this one took the cake.

"Who needs to go out when they have a place like this?" Lucas commented as he looked around the lobby once the three went inside. "I wouldn't even have to do my day job. Just lay around in my underwear all day, impress the ladies I bring back here…"

"Yeah, you wish," Leah remarked with a light laugh, exchanging a glance with Cadence, who rolled her eyes as well. "I've got the front desk, Stratos, you get security. Brigade can handle the rest." Lucas and Cadence nodded and Leah looked back and forth from the two of them, her eyes staying on Cadence for a minute, eyes glowing, before striding over to the front desk.

The young man that sat behind the counter turned his attention to Leah and his eyes lit up as he got a good look at her. Obviously checking her out, he sat up as Leah rested her arms not he counter. "Hi," the man greeted her. "How may I help you?"

"We're here for a meeting with Mayor Champlain," she explained. "I know it's late but we have a very important meeting that we have to get to. So, if you don't mind…" she practically purred, leaning towards her. "Do you think you could let him know we're here and we're on our way up."

The young man smiled, pleased by her attention. "I'm sorry, but there are no scheduled visits or meetings for Mayor Champlain," she explained. "Not only that, but there was no mention for there to be any visitors for him tonight."

Leah leaned towards him and her eyes continued to glow a bright blue, increasing by the second. "Yes, there is a meeting tonight," she said in a low, monotone voice. "Not only that but we are to not be disturbed. In fact, don't bother checking on Mayor Champlain until tomorrow morning. Erase the tapes that have the three of us here, and…" she looked him up and down before giving a naughty smile. "But I want you to call me later. We'll go out for dinner and dancing."

She waited for a brief moment and then her eyes stopped glowing and the man nodded. He stood up and leaned over, motioning towards the elevators. "Take the elevators all the way up to the penthouse, then it'll be the last doors on the left. There will be security at the door, tell them that I gave you permission to go up." He smiled cheerfully. "Then, while you're up there, I'll go to the security room and get the tapes. And I'll figure out the best restaurant to take you to, tomorrow."

"A place with good Filet Mignon, please." Leah blew him a kiss and tossed a wink his way before turning on her heel and joining Lucas and Cadence once more. "Mission Accomplished."

"Good job, Mindboggler," Lucas commended her with a lazy clap. "Should've known that you would find a way to make this a house call for yourself. How _is _the sex life anyway? You seem a lot more calm than the last time we saw you."

Cadence rolled her eyes and shoved Lucas towards the elevator. "We don't have time for this, Stratos, let's go." The three went to the elevator and went inside. Once the doors closed, Cadence lifted her hand and a fireball appeared above her palm. She blew on it and smoke swirled around the elevator car, engulfing every inch of space, keeping the security camera from inside from capturing their images. Then she grabbed onto Lucas and Leah's arms and teleported them out of the elevator and onto the top floor of the penthouse.

Once they arrived around the corner, Lucas rolled his neck and cracked his fingers before he started down the winding hallways with at a quick paced walk, Cadence and Leah following him, keeping pace with little effort. Once they turned the corner and headed towards the doors that lead to the penthouse, security that was stationed outside the door turned and held up their hands towards them.

"Hold it," the security guard on the left commanded. "How did you get to this floor? How did you get past the front desk."

"The young man working there is very helpful," Leah said. "He said that we could go right ahead into suite." She flashed a charming smile, but the security guard continued to hold his hand up towards them. He turned to his partner, who regarded the three with a suspicious eye.

"I'm sorry Sir, Ma'am, but we can't allow you to go inside," the second security guard remarked. "I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to leave, unless you have a certain level of security clearance. Just saying the man at the front desk,"—a look of irritation flashed across his face—"let you up here isn't security clearance."

"And I was hoping we wouldn't have to do this," Lucas remarked with a light sigh. His blue eyes flashed back and forth between the two police officers. "But you give me no choice." He lifted his hands and thrust them forward. A gust of wind blew through the hallway and knocked the security guards off of their feet and to the ground. He then thrust his hands forward once more, and the security guards started to choke, bringing their hands up to their necks as the air was pulled out of their lungs. Their eyes bulged and they continued to try and gasp for air, but the longer Lucas concentrated on his power, the stronger the wind blew.

Finally, the security guards fell silent and collapsed to the floor. Lucas lowered his arms and with a single breath, blew a strand of hair out of his face. He turned to Cadence, who nodded and, using her enhanced speed, ran the three into the penthouse suite, speedily closing and locking the door behind them.

She then went into Mayor Chamberlain's bedroom, filling it with smoke and raising the temperature inside before going in, disappearing in the darkness.

He didn't stand a chance.

* * *

><p>Eddie grinned down into Iris's face before kissing her again; bring his hands up to her hair and gently running his fingers through it. Iris let out a light giggle against his lips and brought her hands to his cheeks, gently stroking the skin as they kissed again and again, only breaking apart when the need for air became too much.<p>

"I'm so glad you managed to get the day off," Iris said, gazing up at him as she leaned back against the corner of the couch. Swinging her jean-clad legs up into his lap she ran a finger through her hair, fixing it. "Why don't we go to the Plaza and get something to eat? Or maybe have a picnic in the park."

"I don't know," Eddie ground out, pretending to think. "I'm having enough fun enjoying the taste of vanilla cupcakes on your lips." Iris laughed as he leaned in and kissed her again. "Why don't we just stay in today, Babe? The last thing I need is to be out and get distracted by a bank robbery, some sort of a jay walking fight…sightings of the Flash…"

Iris let out a weary sigh and looked away from Eddie. He watched her, waiting for her reaction. He knew she would be sort of irritated; he had been a bit…unsupportive since he had found out about her blog. But what was he supposed to do? There was no evidence that there was such as thing as the Flash, it could've been weird streaks in pictures that were taken. But her obsession with him…there had to be some basis around it. She said she was doing it for Barry, trying to give the people of Central City something to believe in like he had believed there was something or someone that had gone and killed his mother.

He didn't know what to feel about that either. It was a strange story, a man made of lightning going into his house and killing his mother. Not that he really doubted Barry, the young man was smart and knew what he was taking about on a lot of subject, but he had been a kid and just watched his mother get murdered. Something that traumatizing that young could create any sort of image in your head to cope with it.

"I thought we agreed to stop talking about it," Iris said to him.

"I know," Eddie agreed. "But you're still writing that blog and I can't have you risk coming onto crime scenes just because you want to get a sighting of him," he said. "What if someone found out…what if people think you have a connection to this guy and try to go after you?"

"I thought you said that he didn't exist," Iris reminded him.

Eddie sighed and leaned back towards his side of the couch. He brought up his hand and gently rubbed Iris's thigh as she turned away from him. This wasn't how the conversation was supposed to go. He didn't even know why he brought it up when they were having such a good time together on his day off. She had spent the time night as she had been for the past couple of days and things had been going so well. She had been there with a hot dinner after her shifts at Jitters ended and as the day ended they were able to push aside what happened during the day and just enjoyed each other's company.

At least he enjoyed hers, every now and then he couldn't help but feel that she was pulling away from him and becoming more and more secretive. He hoped that his day off would be able to bring the two of them closer together.

"I know," Eddie said to her. "Forget that I even brought it up. Let's go and get something to eat. We can go to a movie after."

Iris's nose wrinkled for a moment. "I don't really want to go see a movie," she said. "There's nothing out that I really want to see."

Eddie flashed her a charming smile as he got to his feet, pulling Iris up next to him with a gentle tug of her hands. "I know." He brushed her hair away from her face as his eyes flashed mischievously. "But I never said that we would actually _watch_ the movie," he pointed out and kissed Iris again. They kissed until Iris pulled back, biting her lower lip as she smiled up at him.

"Let me just get my purse," she said.

"Don't worry about it, I'll pay for everything."

Iris hesitated a second, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I know," She said slowly. "But…I want to have my stuff with me just in case something…happens." She turned on her heel and quickly walked out of the living room and towards the back of the apartment where Eddie's bedroom room.

Eddie reached up his hands and rubbed them across his face. Right. In case something happened. In case something with the Flash happened and she needed to get as much information about it as she could before posing it to her blog. _Don't let it get you mad, Eddie. It's not something you need to be angry about. She's doing what her heart is telling her…just like you are. _Scratching the back of his neck, Eddie started to pace back and forth.

He only stopped when his cell phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket. Looking at the screen, he sighed when Joe's name came up and he answered the call, lifting the phone to his ear. "Hey, Joe, what's up?"

"You remember that Michael Bloom character that we had caught, being the one that had kidnapped Barry's friend's brother?" Joe's voice came over the phone in a series of words. Eddie sucked in a deep breath as soon as the name flashed across his mind.

"Yeah..yeah, I remember…" He swallowed thickly before starting to pace once more. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Iris come back out of the bedroom and slow her walk as she spotted him on the phone. He held a finger up towards her, indicating he would only be a minute, before returning to the call. "What's going on? I thought we let him go."

There was a brief pause on the other side of the phone and Eddie waited, listening as Joe let out a long breath. When his voice came back on the line once more, Eddie could hear the stress and disbelief that was in the man's voice. "He says he has a confession to make…I think you should get here right now."

Eddie looked over at Iris once more and she raised an eyebrow, he could see the slight impatience in her face. But…this was something he needed for the job, to finally close the case and he couldn't let it go. "Yeah, I'll be there soon." He hung up the phone and turned back to Iris. "I'm sorry, Babe, but something came up, we're going to have to reschedule."

Iris looked like she was about to protest but then gently shook her head before smiling at her boyfriend. "I understand," she said. "I'll just…hang out with Barry. We haven't hung out with each other in a while, so this will be some good time to catch up."

He couldn't help but feel a wave of irritation wash over him as soon as he heard Iris's plans. Not that he didn't understand Barry's and Iris's friendship but still…they were already so close, like family, and then she had gone so far as to refuse to leave his side for days when he was in his coma. Not that he was a jerk and didn't understand their relationship but…he was sure there was something else going on. Not even the idea of her hanging out with him caused the smile that flashed across her face and through her eyes whenever she talked about Barry or made plans to hang out with him.

"Well," Eddie paused for a moment. "Have fun." He walked forward and placed his hands on Iris's cheeks, looking her in the eye. "I love you," he said.

Iris glanced up at him in confused for a moment. "I love you, too," she said. She then gave him a peck before backing out of his grasp. "I'll see you later. Call me and then we can get dinner or go out for drinks or something."

"Sure," Eddie agreed. "No problem." He picked up his keys and police badge from the table by the front door and followed Iris out of the apartment. He watched as she walked down the street towards the bus stop, her phone to her ear and talking animatedly to whomever was on the other end—he was sure it was Barry—towards the bust stop. He then went to his car and climbed inside, going to the precinct.

Once he arrived he was directed into an interrogation room where Joe was standing in the corner, arms crossed over his chest. Michael Bloom sat at the cold table, looking down at his hands. He only looked up when Eddie entered the room, closing the door behind him.

Joe cleared his throat once the three of them were alone. "Michael, you remember Detective Thawne. He was assigned to the case as well. Now…you said you wanted to make a confession? Why now? Why after we gave you the chance to get away did you want to make a confession?"

Michael remained silent for a moment before taking a deep, shuddering breath. "I…I didn't remember…there were a lot of things that I didn't remember about the incident. I remember being in the hospital, being interrogated…but there were a lot of things I didn't remember until recently."

Eddie rounded the table, taking slow, deliberate steps. "What sort of things?"

"I remember being told to take the kid, but I wasn't really sure why. Just that it was what I was supposed to do. I remember that I was to be paid a lot of money for doing it. I just…I just don't remember doing it, being caught, getting hurt. There are…there are gaps in my memory of those things."

"Mr. Bloom," Joe said. "If there are things you don't remember, as you claim you don't, _why _did you want to come in and make a confession?" He gazed at Michael with a hint of compassion on his face, calmly standing at the other side of the room. He felt no need to try and intimidate the guy that had turned himself in. No, there was something else that was going on.

Eddie looked over at Joe and nodded his agreement to the question. There was something that wasn't adding up, something that was holding back a big part of the puzzle they were trying to piece together. _And if I can't get any sort of answers from Cadence, I'm going to get them from this guy. _

"Because I know I didn't want to do it," Michael said in almost a whisper. "When…when they approached me with the idea, I was confused. Yes, I was a bit short on money, who isn't at this point in time? But I would never want to be an accomplice for a kidnapping. That wasn't my M.O."

"So what did you do? What was it that you did to have whoever it was that orchestrated everything to come up to you?" Michael was silent and Joe continued. "You'll get a lighter sentence if you tell us. Admitting to a crime is better for the ultimate repercussions you'll receive than it is if you continue to lie and we find out about it."

"Sometimes I run crack through some of my clients in the park," Michael admitted. "It's not something that I always do, just when I need the cash. And…this guy and girl came up to me and said I could make a lot more money than I ever dreamed just by helping them with something. By kidnapping this kid. I didn't want to do it initially, I knew that that's even worse than what I was doing and I didn't want that on my rap sheet. Next thing I know I've got the kid and am waiting for my next assignment."

"Who were the people that wanted you to do this?" Joe's voice was low, urgent.

"I don't remember."

Eddie snorted loudly. "You don't remember. You don't remember the people that told you to kidnap Brady when you didn't want to do it, but you did it."

Michael looked confused for a second. "I…I don't…no…I don't remember who it was that had wanted me to do it. I just….I never wanted to take him. I just wanted to do what I was doing and go back to my house and watch Game of Thrones. I never expected for something like that to happen."

"But you did it anyway?" Joe pressed.

"Why?" Eddie barked.

"I don't know!"

"It was the money right? Realizing that you were going to get a lot of money for it, that's when you decided to take the job and kidnap the kid as soon as you got the chance?" Eddie continued. "Is that right?"

"No," Michel said, shaking his head. "No…it wasn't like that."

Eddie let out a growl and slapped the table as hard as he could before leaning into Michael's face, lips pulled back into an almost snarl. Normally he wouldn't act this way, but he couldn't stand not getting answers as easily as he would like. All he wanted was answers and he was going to get it. "Then what was it?"

Letting out a shaky breath, Michael looked back and forth between Eddie and Joe before finally breaking down. "It was like I was being controlled. Like someone _made _me do it!"

Startled, Eddie moved back and looked up at Joe, who frowned at Michael's words. The two Detectives exchanged glances and looked over at Michael as he finally broke down into tears.

"If…if that hadn't happened…I wouldn't do it. I would _never _do something like this. Please…you have to believe me."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So I've figured out all of the plots for the story and things really pick up now. Just a warning that since the semester started, updating may not be as frequent as usual. But I'll keep trying. Also, most of the SnowWells one-shot ideas I had will end up as a scene in this story, one of which coming next chapter.

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


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